SUJANA Mohd Rejab has been making prosthetic limbs for children since mid-2015.
With 3D printers and the knowledge he gained from the Internet, Sujana has made prosthetic limbs which have helped 50 children get back what they once had — the ability to do things just like other children.
UNIVERSITY OF GOOGLE
What started off as a curiosity has turned Sujana, fondly known as Pak Su, into an inventor.
The former teacher started computing and programming after he left the profession in 1997.
At the age of 29, during the time when computers were not yet widely used here, Sujana already saw the bright future of technology.
Curious and interested to know more about technology and what it can do, he took up a computer programming course and worked at a computing company before starting a small computer business in Putrajaya.
However, in 2011, he had to return to his hometown in Taiping, Perak to care for his ailing father.
While in Taiping, Pak Su needed to find alternative ways to support his family.
One day, he came across an article on 3D prosthetic devices and how these can be made with a 3D printer.
“I wanted to learn more, so I began to search for more information on 3D printers,” he says.
However, in 2013, 3D printers were not widely available. Sujana taught himself the programming behind a 3D printer and built one from scratch, with the help of information from the Internet.
“People ask me which university I graduated from. My answer is the University of Google,” he says.
After he learnt to design and produce prosthetic limbs for children, he started MyVista, a company specialising in 3D printers.
HISTORIC DAY
Recalling his first encounter with a 3D printer on the Internet, Sujana says he couldn’t believe such a machine exists and its huge potential.
“3D printers are an amazing invention. I won’t say it is easy but it’s not difficult to build it,” he says.
“I had so many plans after I built my first printer,” he adds.
After two years of making 3D printers, Sujana realised that he couldn’t rely on just making them. In Taiping, 3D printing was still unknown to many people.
In 2015, Sujana came upon the online e-Nable community founded by Professor John Schull at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the US.
Schull has started a Google+ group and created a map for makers to share their locations so that people who a want prosthetic limbs can find the nearest volunteer.
Sujana was quickly inspired and started to build his first 3D-printed hand.
His first hand recipient was a 6-year-old girl who had lost her limbs.
“I still remember the smile on her face that day,” says the 51-year-old inventor.
“It was a historic day for both of us. I was happy beyond words seeing her smiling face. I think I was happier than her,” says Sujana.
He embarked on a journey to learn more about 3D printers and limb design.
“The arms that I created are mostly for children. It is to build up their confidence so that they can grow up without feeling like they don’t belong.”
MORE ADVANCED
Building prosthetic limbs is not a small matter. Sujana not only needs capital to buy parts for 3D printers but also plastic filaments, the core materials in 3D printing.
Sujana began looking for partner to work with him in championing his cause — giving prosthetic limbs to those who need them.
In the early days when he first started the initiative, he partnered with many parties including universities to develop better programming modules and design to make better quality 3D-printed prosthetic limbs.
Today, Sujana’s team produces two types of 3D prosthetic arms. One is mechanical and the other, electronic.
Under an initiative called Delta Bionics, Sujana began to develop more prosthetic limbs for distribution.
“The electronic arm is much more advanced. It can be controlled via an app installed on smartphones,” explains Sujana, adding that the mechanical arm can perform basic “open and close” of fingers.
Two years ago, Sujana invented the Delta Bionic-EXIII, a prosthetic arm that’s created based on 3D software and sensor.
“The research and development to create this arm, the component alteration and software development were all done within six months,” says Sujana, who based his work on the creation of a Japanese prosthetic limb maker.
Unlike his previous creation, which uses string and rubber with static fingers, the new bionic arm can do simple daily tasks like hold a bottle, tie shoe laces and write with a pen,” says Sujana.
He aims to build a better-looking, better-functioning 3D-printed prosthetic limb that costs less.
NEW LEASE OF LIFE
“My designs are not high-tech but I try to do the best I can,” says Sujana, a father of six, who has been giving a new lease of life to underprivileged children with disabilities.
Today, Sujana adopts a superhero theme for the limbs.
“My friends call me Tony Stark because the prosthetic hand is in red and gold — just like Iron Man,” says 7-year-old Muhammad Fathul Naqib Fakrul Iskar from Kemaman, Terengganu, who has received a prosthetic limb from Sujana.
Sujana is working to develop more limbs mainly for children between the age of five and 10.
He offers fully customisable limbs, each taking six to 12 months to be completed — from R&D to final fitting.