Michigan High School Students Invent Device to Help 6-Year-Old With Muscle Disorder

When a Michigan high school engineering class was asked to invent a device to help a 6-year-old living with a muscular disorder, they immediately got to work.

Stella Malpass has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. It's a condition that doesn't allow her to fully extend her arms and legs. 

Stella's mother, Kim, says her daughter can do most things on her own. However, she needs help going to the bathroom because she does not have the strength to pull her pants up.

Stella's occupational therapist, Jodi Carroll reached out to several clothing companies in hopes of finding a solution, but nothing came of it. So she turned to the Petoskey High School engineering class for help. 

After designing two prototypes, it only took them a week to 3D print a device that will help Stella. It includes a plastic piece with collapsible pins on at the top and bottom that attach to her pants, allowing her to pull them up and down herself. Her mother is thankful for the students' ingenuity.

 "I knew they would come up with something. I'm really grateful these young people came together to help my daughter, it's wonderful," Malpass said.

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