Girl throws out first pitch with robotic hand

Dawson, who’s from Las Vegas, has Poland Syndrome, which has caused her right hand to not fully develop. The disease affects her right arm as well. Well, you’re about to meet a Baltimore Orioles fan that got to toss out a first pitch on Monday that’s going to latch on to those heartstrings we just talked about.

It’s a reminder that sports are bigger than what happens in between the lines. The group is now on their fourth and most advanced iteration of the device which they call the Flexy-Hand. After hearing about the Robohand and how 3D printers were creating low cost prosthetics, Hailey’s mother Yong Dawson took a chance and contacted a professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) to see if he could help. The fingers grab when her wrist is down, and open up when her wrist moves upward.

Once she became comfortable with her new hand, Hailey threw out the first pitch at a UNLV baseball game.

Yong Dawson also got a personal call from Orioles executive vice president John Angelos.

Apparently Hailey isn’t the only inspirational one in her family either. Just look at the prosthetic worn by five-year-old Hailey Dawson.

And Orioles fans got to see her use it to throw out a very special ceremonial first pitch on Monday night.

According to MASN, Hailey’s mom Yong worked with the UNLV engineering program to design the robotic hand in hopes of giving her the ability to do things like gripping and throwing a baseball, while keeping the price at a fraction of the cost of a typical prosthetic.

You can find out more about the Robohand 3D printable hand prostheses on their website where you can download the 3D files to print your own, or just discover ways to chip in.