Kentucky Teacher Secretly Builds 3D-Printed Hand That Transforms His Student’s Life

December 12, 2025

At Red Cross Elementary School in Barren County, Kentucky, one teacher has turned compassion and creativity into life-changing innovation.

STEAM teacher Scott Johnson, recently named the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, spent nearly a year quietly researching, designing, and perfecting a 3D-printed prosthetic hand for one of his fourth-grade students, Jackson Farmer.

Scott Johnson and Jackson Farmer / Jennifer Hudson Show

Jackson was born without his right hand and has used a rubber prosthetic with limited function.

“He’s got a skin tone rubber type hand that he can wear, but it doesn’t have a lot of functionality to it. He can’t actually grip things and whatnot,” Johnson told WBKO.

So, without telling Jackson, Johnson began building a custom design—reaching out to engineers around the world, studying existing models, and fine-tuning every detail.

“For the longest time, I didn’t tell anyone other than my wife what I was working on,” Johnson said. “What if I found out I was trying to do something far beyond my skill set? I didn’t want to falsely get anyone’s hopes up.”

When the school’s Back to School Bash arrived this year, Johnson finally revealed the prototype.

“So, I asked him. I was like ‘I made this, and I would like to make one for you if it’s cool.’ ” Johnson recalled. With approval from Jackson’s mom, the project officially became a reality.

The result is a lightweight, sturdy prosthetic built from durable bioplastic, with foam and smooth interior elements for comfort. Most impressively, the hand is completely mechanical—no electronics required. Jackson controls it using his own wrist movements: flexing down closes the fingers into a grip, and flexing up opens them again. A system of internal wires helps the fingers tighten naturally when he moves.

Each hand takes about 25 hours to print, four hours to assemble, and costs only around $20 in materials. Johnson covered every expense himself, a powerful contrast to medical prosthetics that can cost families thousands.

And this is only the beginning.

Johnson is already creating an updated version based on Jackson’s daily feedback. Because Jackson will stay at the school through sixth grade, Johnson plans to resize and reprint the hand as he grows—and even teach him how to modify the design on his own.

“We can scale up the file as he gets older,” Johnson said. “One day, he’ll be able to make his own edits. That’s the goal.”