CEDAR SPRING, MI - The robotics team from West Catholic High School gave a 4-year-old Cedar Trails Elementary student the right hand she never had on Thursday, Dec. 19.

"I'm going to paint them (nails) pink," said Harmony Taylor with a big smile as she pulled on each finger of her customized Robohand and strolled around the school media center, getting a feel for the device and using it.

Using it, she easily picked up the gift bag from the West Catholic students who made the device. It included a bottle of pink nail polish.

"I am so excited because this is going to make her more independent," said her mother, Melanie Peterman, who said Harmony was born with a condition called limb differences that resulted in her not having any fingers on her right hand.

"She does pretty good but I am so glad she's got fingers now. She had a prosthetic about a year and a half ago that cost $5,000 but all it did was pinch and really wasn't practical for a kid her age."

"There are things like tying her shoes and playing certain games at school that you kind of need two hands for. "

Peterman describes her daughter's preschool teacher, Betty Krzyszton, as "amazing" because she said the teacher took to the Internet and found out about the Robohand and began pulling all the players together to make it possible.

West Catholic students Tim Liu, 18, and Aimee Kalczuk, 17, presented the device to Harmony, her mom and aunt, Michele Dozeman and Krzyston for the first time Thursday. The device is a plastic cuff that fits on the girl's hand, with fingers attached.

The students said it took their team approximately six weeks to build the hand, after receiving the instructions and parts made from a 3D printer, provided by Bill McCarthy, whose family has ties to the school.

"It is so great to be able do something that can change her life," said Liu, who said they spent about two hours in the evenings once a week to complete the project.

Kalczuk said she feels really lucky that their team was able to be involved in helping Harmony.

"We usually are building robotics or playing games but when you can actually help people and use the things that we've learn from robotics in a real world situation, it just feels really great," she said.

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center also played a role in the hand. David Firlik, certified in prothesis with the center, said the device required a unique ASB plastic other than the plastic that came with it. The center was able to provide it for the team. He said the device was developed years ago in Australia.

"I am very impressed with your efforts," he told the students as they helped Harmony with her hand.

Liu said after Christmas break they will make any adjustments necessary.

Prior to school starting, Krzyszton said she had a home visit with the family. She said she began looking for resources for the family shortly after that visit.

"A lot of people had told her no or that insurance wouldn't pay for it but I didn't want to take that for answer and just started digging and came across a lot of great organizations," she said. "I read a news article and watched a YouTube video about a man who designed this (Robohand). "

She said downloaded the information and is happy for Harmony because the girl is so excited about having fingers.

Richard Van As, a carpenter from South Africa and Ivan Owen, a mechanical special effects artist from Washington, teamed up to design and build the 3D printed prosthetic hand and made the design available online for others.

The body powered device that reacts to motions in the hand can be re-sized as needed. The 3D printing creates the parts such as the fingers. There is a glove-like covering that is fitted in thermoplastic and fingers are connected to the glove with cables and screws.

Peterman said there is no escaping painting fingernails tonight, as she walked Harmony back to class. The little girl waved with her new hand.

Monica Scott is the Grand Rapids K-12 education writer. Email her at mscott2@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter @MScottGR or Facebook