'A Spoon, A Fork... Swiss Army Knife': Jackson Caplis Shows Off 3D Printed Thumb
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A mechanic in Colorado Springs is back on the job thanks to a first-of-its-kind thumb. Jackson Caplis is sporting a 3D printed thumb.
Jackson Caplis smashed his thumb while working with a 56,000 pound piece of equipment. Without his thumb, he thought he was also going to lose his career.
That's when a team of doctors came up with the idea of a 3D printed thumb.
"A spoon, a fork, maybe a little Swiss Army knife. I would like to do a nut driver on there where I could attach Philips head, drivers head and do like that and use it as a tool," said Caplis.
Caplis said he's amazed by the flexibility and is happy to be on the forefront of technology.
"I hope it helps anybody else who doesn't have one that works with their hands like I do!" said Caplis.
The FDA has not yet approved the process to print the 3D thumbs.