The Hand Story

The Hand Story is not a single project, but a series of milestones that trace how I have grown through making. It began with a clay hand in preschool, then moved through LEGO, 3D printing, programming, motion control, and eventually prosthetic design. Each version reflects a different stage of my curiosity—and a shift from asking what I could make, to how I could make it move, and finally how it might help someone.

For me, these hands are more than a collection of projects. Each one reflects what I was learning, what I was curious about, and what I was capable of building at that stage of my life. As the materials changed—from clay and LEGO to 3D printing, electronics, and code—my way of thinking changed too. I learned to keep redesigning when something failed, to understand how movement and structure work together, and eventually to think beyond whether something could move to whether it could be useful to someone else. Looking at them together feels almost like looking at a timeline of how I have grown as a maker, problem solver, and person.

#1 Clay Hand 

2016

My first hand began as a preschool art project. I still remember watching the mold take shape around my fist, then seeing a little plaster hand appear and painting it gold. I kept it on my shelf for years, never knowing it would become the beginning of a much longer story.

#2 LEGO Kit Hand 

2020

Years later, I found a LEGO hand kit and built it exactly as the instructions showed. I enjoyed seeing how the fingers and joints worked, but once it was finished, I wanted more. What would happen if I stopped following the instructions and designed one myself?

#3 My Own LEGO Hand 

2021

So I dumped out my loose LEGO pieces and started from scratch. The palm was too small, the thumb bent the wrong way, and I rebuilt it again and again until every joint could move. It was less polished than the kit, but it felt more alive because the decisions were mine.

#4 3D-Printed Hand

2023

When I discovered 3D printing, I wanted to take the idea further. Prints failed, joints jammed, and pieces snapped, but each mistake showed me what to change next. Eventually, I printed a hand with articulated fingers. I could move each joint by hand—but that made me wonder:
Could I make it move on its own?

#5 Programmed Robotic Hand 

2025

To answer that question, I started learning about motors, electronics, and programming. My desk quickly filled with wires, servos, and half-assembled fingers as I tested one idea after another. After many failed attempts, I finally watched all five fingers curl into a fist and open again. The movement was clumsy, but for the first time, the hand could move through code. Andover student essay

But controlling each movement with code made me wonder: could the hand move with me instead?

#6 Prosthetic Hand 

2026

Eventually, my question changed again: Could a hand I make actually help someone? Through e-NABLE, I began making 3D-printed prosthetic hands for real users. What started years ago as curiosity had grown into something different—the possibility of using what I had learned to create for someone beyond myself.

The Story Continues

These hands are more than projects. Each one reflects what I knew, what I was curious about, and what I was beginning to care about at that stage of my life. From clay to LEGO, from printing to programming, and from movement to purpose, the story keeps changing as I do.