Bolivian toymaker restores limbs, dignity with 3D-printing

Mamani (left) explains the operation of the bionic arm prosthesis to Marco Antonio Nina in the town of Achocalla, 18km from La Paz, Bolivia on Jan 8, 2024. Mamani has delivered more than 400 prostheses across Bolivia to poor and rural people, charging them only for the cost of the materials used to make them. — AFP

As a kid growing up in poverty in rural Bolivia, Roly Mamani built his own toys. Now a 34-year-old engineer, he 3D prints limbs for Indigenous compatriots scarred by life-changing accidents.

Mamani funds the endeavour with the money he makes from selling robotic toys he makes – his other passion, which, after building his first remote-controlled toy car as a child, he never abandoned.