In a workshop filled with colorful parts, small motors and the constant hum of a 3D printer, the hands of a group of young engineers are building devices capable of transforming lives. Between molds and filaments, prostheses emerge that restore mobility and confidence to those who once lost it. This is how 3D Humans, a Colombian organization based in Medellín, works.
The project was born in 2017, promoted by the Australian Adam Armfield, who arrived in the capital of Antioquia with the idea of leaving the traditional business world and undertaking a social project based on 3D printing. He knew the impact of the armed conflict in Antioquia and it occurred to him to support the victims by making prosthetics with the pair of printers he had brought. “We had a starting point because there were many free models for making hand prosthetics,” explains Esteban Rojas (Caldas, Antioquia, 32 years old), current director and who in 2023 obtained the leadership scholarship of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, in the category “Diversity, equity and inclusion”, thanks to which he began pilot tests in Peru, Kenya and Rwanda.
Rojas came to Humans 3D as a volunteer in 2019, shortly after graduating from the University of Antioquia with a degree in bioengineering, and stayed there. Over time, he realized the impact they could have not only on people with disabilities, but also on students and young people from vulnerable areas interested in learning more about what they were doing. “I lived in rural areas and knew the challenges that exist when studying,” he says.
“We started as a group of national and international volunteers, but over time I wanted to give it a Colombian touch – says Rojas -. I contacted universities and students to join the project. Today we are a network of around a hundred volunteers, among them engineers, designers, communicators and professionals from different fields, who make this project possible.”
The goal of the organization, explains its director, is to democratize access to functional devices and accessories for people with upper limb disabilities, with a particular emphasis on rural communities and victims of armed conflicts. “We want to reach them because we know that otherwise they wouldn’t be able to access this type of technology, and they are the ones who need it the most. »
To achieve this, they created the “Mobile Clinics” program, in which the team travels to different municipalities to take measurements and make personalized prosthetics, a process that only takes a week. The parts are printed in PLA, a biodegradable material based on cassava or potato starch, reinforced with rubber or carbon fiber for greater strength.
Through this work model, the project has delivered 500 prostheses to more than 450 people (if damaged, they will be replaced) in 10 departments of the country, including Antioquia, Meta, Tolima, La Guajira, Norte de Santander and Cundinamarca. “In Meta, we made the largest delivery of prosthetics, to around 45 people, in alliance with the Meta Humanitarian Demining Engineers Battalion. »
One of the beneficiaries is Rigoberto Zapata, 47 years old and from Caldas (Antioquia), who lost both forearms in an accident with explosives in July 1999. Sport has been his main rehabilitation therapy and, for three years, he found in Humans 3D a way to pursue his passion for table tennis.
“I didn’t need a helping hand, but a solution to hold the racket,” he remembers. Before, he had to fasten it with Velcro, which caused injuries. The organization’s engineers designed a special prosthesis for him adapted to his size so he could play table tennis. It was the first model of its type in the world. They also made prosthetics for violinists and fishermen.
Since Zapata received the prosthesis, his life has changed, both sportingly and personally. In table tennis he found a discipline that keeps him active, focused and motivated. “This sport helps me physically and mentally, and reminds me that we can always move forward,” he says. In 2024, he manages to qualify for an international tournament in Germany.
In your case, as in all others, the organization maintains post-delivery support, with user monitoring, evaluation of improvements and redesign of parts if necessary. To guarantee the continuity of these actions, the initiative is financed with the support of public and private institutions, in addition to its network of volunteers. Initially, the Viva Air Foundation facilitated transfers to the regions and supported the maintenance of missions; Currently, they benefit from the support of One Social Investment.
Added to this support are their own strategies such as educational workshops and printing services for companies and organizations, which allow them to maintain the operation and continue producing prosthetics at no cost to the beneficiaries. “Our goal is that the user never pays, but we must be sustainable; that is why we are looking for income that maintains operation without losing our social character,” explains Rojas.
In 2024, they received recognition from the Titanes Caracol, in the “Science and technology” category, for “creating bridges between disability and opportunities”. In 2025, it became the first Colombian NGO to win the international Impact.ORG Awards, which recognize organizations that have had a positive impact on society, presented in Washington DC. Additionally, Rojas traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in a social innovation cycle.
More than a foundation, 3D Humans defines itself as a social innovation laboratory in which engineering is put at the service of human dignity. From Medellín, its team continues to design solutions that, printed layer by layer, strengthen people’s independence and active participation in all areas of society.
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