KINGSTON, R.I.鈥擭ov. 30, 2017鈥擳he boy looked at his new arm and grinned. How does that big thing work? What鈥檚 with the wires? Circuit boards?
Corvah Akoiwala leaned across the table and pressed a button. The fingers balled into a fist, then burst open. The boy鈥檚 eyes lit up. Akoiwala asked the boy to try the arm on, and he did. He crushed a plastic cup.
鈥淗e just started smiling,鈥� says Akoiwala. 鈥淭hat was it. He had no words.鈥�
The team clapped鈥擜koiwala, the 溏心vlog免费B站 biomedical engineering student who made the prosthetic arm, and other 溏心vlog免费B站 engineering students, all key players in a college project to help four Colombians who had lost limbs.
鈥淭he work was hard, but seeing how happy he was made everything worth it,鈥� says Akoiwala, who delivered the new arm to the boy, Joysi, in August. 鈥淚 was able to change someone鈥檚 life for the better, and that was incredibly rewarding, maybe the most rewarding thing ever.鈥�
Spearheaded by 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Spanish International Engineering Program, 鈥淪ustainable Prostheses: An All-Inclusive Approach to Designing in the Americas鈥� was a collaboration with SENA Centro Nacional Colombo Alem谩n in Barranquilla and made possible by a $25,000 grant from the 鈥�100,000 Strong in the Americas鈥� program, a federal initiative to inspire Americans to study in Latin America.
The 溏心vlog免费B站 students started working on the artificial arms and hands as far back as March, collaborating with their colleagues in Colombia through emails, Skype and conference calls. 鈥淲e really got to know them that way,鈥� says Akoiwala, of Providence. 鈥淭alking, not just about engineering, was really important. It helped us work better as a team.鈥�
The Colombian students identified four patients, ages 7 to 60, who had lost limbs, most in tragic accidents. (Fourteen-year-old Joysi鈥檚 arm was sliced off just below his elbow when he fell off his roof at the age of 7.) They took measurements of the patients and forwarded those details to 溏心vlog免费B站.
In Kingston, the students made the arms鈥攁nd, in some cases, hands鈥攚ith a 3-D printer. They learned how to connect the prosthetics to an Arduino circuit board, and they took a design class to learn how to make an arm, or hand, that is functional and attractive.
In June, the Colombians visited 溏心vlog免费B站 for three weeks to work on the prosthetics鈥攁nd bond with their American colleagues. They ate together, traveled to local beaches, and even took a trip to New York City.
The following month, Akoiwala and his classmates鈥擩ames Gannon of Coventry, Cristian Witcher of North Smithfield, and Laura Parra of Pawtucket, all in the Spanish International Engineering Program鈥攚ent to Colombia, along with Joshua Gyllinsky, a graduate student studying wearable technology, and Silke Scholz, director of the Spanish International Engineering Program and project coordinator.
Tall with a buzz cut, Joysi seemed nervous when he walked into the laboratory at the Colombian institution on a hot day in August. 鈥淗is head was down,鈥� says Akoiwala. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a shy kid. He didn鈥檛 like all the attention.鈥�
Akoiwala had Skyped with him a few times in the spring, but this was their first face-to-face meeting. It didn鈥檛 help that Akoiwala could only speak a few words in Spanish. He figured the best way to break the ice was to make the fingers move. Joysi liked that.
The artificial arm was too wide so Akoiwala wrapped a cloth around Joysi鈥檚 upper arm to tighten the fit. He slid the prosthetic鈥攂lue and gray in honor of FC Barcelona, Joysi鈥檚 favorite soccer team鈥攐ver Joysi鈥檚 stump. Akoiwala put a plastic cup on the table. Crushed. The potential had revealed itself.
Akoiwala and his Colombian student partner, Carlos Roa, visited Joysi鈥檚 parents, brother and sister in the town of Barranquilla. The shack was small, with rooms divided by curtains. They talked about soccer, chorizo, and Joysi鈥檚 new arm.
Roa served as interpreter. Joysi鈥檚 mother told Akoiwala that she is grateful for what he has brought to her son鈥檚 life: dignity. 鈥淣o more teasing,鈥� she said, in Spanish. Joysi said he was happy because he could ride his bike with two hands.
The arm is good, but can be perfect. At his lab in Colombia, Roa continues refining the arm to make it look as real as possible. His gift should arrive in the spring. Joysi doesn鈥檛 have a cell phone or computer, so he stays in touch with his American friend through Roa, who has both. Akoiwala sends an email to Roa, who drives to Joysi鈥檚 house and shows him the message.
鈥淚鈥檒l wish him Happy Holidays in a few weeks,鈥� says Akoiwala. 鈥淥ne day, I鈥檒l go back to see him.鈥�
鈥淪ustainable Prostheses,鈥� he says, was not just about engineering. It taught him how to lead his life: appreciate what you have; work hard; live with purpose; abhor cruelty. 鈥淗ere鈥檚 a kid who grew up without an arm. I feel proud. I made something that changed his life.鈥�