A 10-year old girl, born with no left hand and a shortened forearm, is fulfilling her dream of playing the violin thanks to five engineering students who have built a prosthetic arm for her using a 3-D printer.

Prosthetic arm for 10-year old violinistIsabella Nicola Cabrera with her prostethic arm. Photograph © AP Photo/Steve Helber

As reported by Associated Press, 10-year old Isabella Nicola Cabrera received the prosthetic arm – coloured hot pink at her request – late last week. A fifth-grade student at Island Creek Elementary in Fairfax County, Virginia, Isabella had wanted to play a musical instrument since the school began offering string lessons when she was in the fourth grade.

The music teacher built her a prosthetic, which allowed her to move the bow with her left arm and finger the strings with her right hand. However, it proved too heavy for her to use. So, the teacher turned to George Mason University, also in Fairfax County, Virginia, where he himself studied.

Five undergraduates – Abdul Gouda, Mona Elkholy, Ella Novoselsky, Racha Salha and Yasser Alhindi – who were looking for a project to complete their senior bioengineering programme agreed...