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'A Spoon, A Fork... Swiss Army Knife': Jackson Caplis Shows Off 3D Printed Thumb

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A mechanic in Colorado Springs is back on the job thanks to a first-of-its-kind thumb. Jackson Caplis is sporting a 3D printed thumb.

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Jackson Caplis smashed his thumb while working with a 56,000 pound piece of equipment. Without his thumb, he thought he was also going to lose his career.

That's when a team of doctors came up with the idea of a 3D printed thumb.

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"A spoon, a fork, maybe a little Swiss Army knife. I would like to do a nut driver on there where I could attach Philips head, drivers head and do like that and use it as a tool," said Caplis.

Caplis said he's amazed by the flexibility and is happy to be on the forefront of technology.

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"I hope it helps anybody else who doesn't have one that works with their hands like I do!" said Caplis.

The FDA has not yet approved the process to print the 3D thumbs.

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