Portuguese 
A 3D scan at a university initiated a customized solution that combined 3D printing, engineering, and creativity, greatly enhancing the life of a 4-year-old boy and expanding a volunteer project.
Davy arrived at the TU Dublin campus accompanied by his mother, Nicola, and his twin sister, Daisy, for a session that felt very different from a conventional appointment.
Instead of traditional molds, the 4-year-old boy’s arm was scanned in 3D.
A few weeks later, he returned to the university to find something made especially for his body and a common interest among children his age: a custom prosthetic arm featuring a Spiderman design.
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But the surprises didn’t end there.
Biomedical Design students Aoife O’Donnell and Áine Hughes also prepared two extra arms, providing the boy with alternatives for different activities.
The delivery was made through 3D Assist, a volunteer initiative associated with the engineering department at Technological University Dublin in Ireland.
The case was publicized by the university in March 2025, but it is part of a much larger project.
TU Dublin itself currently reports that 3D Assist has already delivered over 60 3D-printed hands and arms for free to children and families in Ireland and the UK, combining engineering, 3D printing, and customization for each user.
3D Scanning Allowed for the Creation of a Custom Arm for Davy
Before the printer could start working, it was necessary to determine exactly what dimensions the equipment should have.
Davy was taken to the Tallaght campus a few weeks before the delivery for 3D scanning, a process the team used to capture the necessary features for personalizing the device.
The technology allows students to develop the arm while considering the child’s body, rather than simply printing a standardized model and hoping it fits.
TU Dublin highlights that the introduction of 3D scanning made it possible to create custom devices while maintaining the project’s low-cost manufacturing goal.
After this stage, the digital file can be adjusted before printing.
It was during this customization process that Davy’s arm also acquired a feature that was not just about engineering.
As he is a fan of Spiderman, the device was given a theme inspired by the character.
For a 4-year-old child, the appearance transforms an assistive device into something that can also spark curiosity and identification.
Students Created Two Extra Arms for Different Activities
Aoife O’Donnell and Áine Hughes did not only deliver the customized piece initially shown to Davy.
The university reports that the students produced “a pair” of surprise additional arms, specifically so the boy would have options related to different activities.
TU Dublin did not publicly specify in its report about Davy which specific activities correspond to each of those versions.
Nonetheless, the existence of different pieces helps illustrate an important characteristic of digital fabrication: once the user’s measurements and needs are known, a design can be adapted in ways that would be much more challenging in a rigid industrial production.
The work was not funded by the family.
According to the university, the entire project was financed by fundraising conducted by the student volunteers of 3D Assist.
3D Assist Provides Free Pediatric Prosthetics
The group responsible for the project does not operate like a conventional prosthetic manufacturer.
3D Assist is a volunteer initiative created within TU Dublin, formed by students, professors, and collaborators in engineering.
The university states that the project has been operating for over a decade.
On its own page, 3D Assist explains that it raises funds to purchase materials and produce the devices in the volunteers’ free time.
For the families served, the pieces are free.
The initiative is also part of the international e-NABLE community, a network of volunteers dedicated to producing 3D printed devices for individuals with upper limb differences.
In practice, this allows designers to utilize open-source projects and adapt them to each child’s needs.
3D Assist cites models such as Phoenix Hand and UnLimbited Arm as part of its journey, which can be altered through 3D design and modeling software.
3D Printing Adapts Pieces to the Child’s Growth
Customization is especially important when users are still growing.
A child does not maintain the same body dimensions for many years, and a piece made for a certain phase may need to be replaced or adjusted later.
This is where 3D printing provides a practical advantage to the project.
The digital file can be modified, resized, and produced again without the need to recreate the entire industrial setup used for conventional devices.
TU Dublin’s impact page describes the method as a combination of 3D scanning, additive manufacturing, open-source prosthetic designs, and development conducted alongside the users themselves.
Davy is an example of this process.
First came his digital measurements. Then, the adaptation of the model. Finally, printing, finishing, and fitting.
Project has Produced Over 60 Hands and Arms for Children
The Spider-Man inspired arm was not an isolated experiment done just for a university publication.
When presenting Davy’s case in March 2025, TU Dublin reported that 3D Assist had already produced over 60 prosthetic hands and arms for children with limb differences.
The latest institutional page dedicated to the program’s impact maintains this scope and states that more than 60 free devices have been delivered to families in Ireland and the UK.
This number helps to illustrate the project since each piece involves more than just pressing a button on a printer.
There is interaction with the family, measurement or scanning, design selection, model adjustments, manufacturing, assembly, and user adaptation.
In previous information about the program, TU Dublin itself indicated that a device could take about two to three weeks to be delivered, depending on the case.
3D Printed Prosthetics Have Usage Limits
Despite the term “prosthetic” used by the university in reports about the project, 3D Assist makes an important distinction regarding what its devices can achieve.
The group explains that these pieces do not equate to advanced medical prosthetics, capable of individually controlling fingers or supporting the entire weight of a child.
This means, for example, that they were not designed for activities where the user needs to hang using the arm.
On the other hand, certain models can aid in tasks such as holding bottles and manipulating objects, according to 3D Assist itself.
This distinction helps to understand why the project can offer these pieces for free.
The goal is not to replace all available prosthetic technologies in hospitals but to create relatively simple, customized mechanical solutions that are accessible for specific needs.
Project Connects Engineering Students with Real Users
Those receiving the device are not the only participants in the process.
For students like Aoife and Áine, working with a real child forces them to transform concepts studied at university into something that needs to function outside the classroom.
TU Dublin presents 3D Assist precisely as an initiative that combines research-driven engineering, hands-on experience, and user-centered development.
Participants must consider not only the geometry of the piece but also comfort, weight, strength, size, ease of use, and the child’s experience.
Davy’s case also added an aesthetic dimension.
The device needed to fit the boy’s body but also took on the appearance of a character he recognized and admired.
