Leon McCarthy was born with his fingers missing on his left hand. Under normal medical care, a prosthetic hand would have cost upwards of $30,000, and would obviously need to be replaced many times as he grew up.

Leon’s dad, Paul McCarthy, decided to turn to 3D printing for an innovative solution. A designer in Washington developed open-source plans for a prosthetic hand that could be made at home. So McCarthy bought himself a MakerBot 3D printer, tuned the model to fit his son’s arm, and 3D printed Leon a new hand.

At first Leon thought his dad was a little crazy, but now thinks his did is pretty awesome.

And Paul, likewise is just proud that he can make his son happy. “It’s the best thing,” said Paul.

Here is a photo of Leon posing with MakerBot co-founder and CEO Bre Pettis at a MakerBot store event.

Watch this segment from CBS Evening News to meet Leon and his dad Paul McCarthy and hear their amazing story.

“Bre Pettis’ leadership and passion for innovation have played a critical role in the success of 3D printing for both professionals and consumers – the consumer category didn’t even exist a few years ago and is now one of the biggest stories to come out of the International CES,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “We are thrilled to have Bre keynote the 2014 CES LIT dinner and look forward to hearing his vision for how 3D printing will transform entrepreneurship, business and consumer opportunities in the year ahead.”

Related: Read our coverage of 3D Printing at CES 2013

The LIT Dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 8, in the Lafite Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas. The invitation-only event gathers and honors the top technologists, entrepreneurs and policymakers instrumental in furthering technology innovation.

Pettis has led MakerBot as CEO since its beginning in 2009. Prior to co-founding MakerBot, he co-founded the Brooklyn hacker collective NYC Resistor, where Makerbot technology was first created, tested and proven. Pettis was instrumental in building the first prototypes of MaterBot’s 3D printers, and has become known worldwide as a leading evangelist for personal manufacturing. In 2012, Pettis was honored with the Disruptive Innovation Award from the Tribeca Film Festival, for “creating an entire ecosystem for desktop 3D printing.” He is passionate about providing tools for individuals and organizations to create the world around them.

New to the 2014 CES show floor, the 3D printing TechZone will showcase the latest advancements in 3D printing technology from top companies in the category. Following its initial launch, the 3D Printing TechZone sold out more than 3,000 net square feet of exhibit space and has since expanded to 6,900 square feet to meet exhibitor demand.

Former LIT Dinner speakers include Skype CEO Josh Silverman; Huffington Post Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief Arianna Huffington; Netflix Co-Founder and CEO Reed Hastings; eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahue; and Pandora Chief Strategy Officer and Founder Tim Westergren.

For more information on the 2014 CES, visit CESweb.org.

MakerBot wants to put a 3D printer in every school in America.

The company has partnered with DonorsChoose.org, America Makes, and Autodesk on this initiative. “To get this done, we are going to have to do it together,” said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.

MakerBot was inspired by President Obama’s call to action to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. In the most recent State of the Union address, the President said, “a once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.”

MakerBot Academy is the company’s answer to this call. Beginning this week, individuals and corporations interested in helping put MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in schools can visit DonorsChoose.org, a crowd funding site for teachers, and pledge to financially support the program. Teachers then register on DonorsChoose.org for a MakerBot Academy bundle.

Each MakerBot Academy bundle contains a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, three spools of MakerBot PLA Filament, and a full year of the MakerBot MakerCare Service and Protection Plan. MakerBot will also support the teachers with the development of ongoing 3D printing curriculum that teachers can participate in and utilize in the classroom. MakerBot will leverage Autodesk’s software and educator curriculum as well.

Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, has personally pledged to put a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer in public high schools in MakerBot’s hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. In addition, Ralph Crump, original inventor of FDM 3D printing technology and founder of Stratasys, has pledged his support.

“As a former teacher, I believe strongly in creating a new model for innovation. A MakerBot is a manufacturing education in a box,” said Bre Pettis. “We need to encourage our teachers and our youth to think differently about manufacturing and innovation. When you have a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer, you see the world differently. Instead of waiting for someone to create a product for you, you can create your own. It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America.”

Pictured above, Bre Pettis and Scott Crump.

The White House has responded positively to this initiative. “We are thrilled that MakerBot and America Makes are joining a growing coalition of citizens working to give American students the ability to design and make almost anything,” said Tom Kalil, deputy director for Technology and Innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “As the President has said, we all need to think creatively about giving our young people the tools to be ‘the makers of things, and not just the consumers of things.’”

MakerBot is also launching a MakerBot Thingiverse Math Manipulatives Challenge. Math Manipulatives are one of the most requested items on DonorsChoose.org and are an item that can easily be 3D printed in the classroom. The MakerBot Thingiverse website will hold a week-­‐long design challenge, from November 12 through 18, 2013, for its members to quickly develop a variety of different math manipulative 3D designs that can then be available immediately to teachers that receive the MakerBot Academy 3D printing package.

For more information on MakerBot Academy, visit makerbot.com/academy. For more information on supporting or registering for the program, visit DonorsChoose.org.

More news from MakerBot! The desktop 3D printing company is launching new retail stores in Boston and Greenwich, CT. The two stores are scheduled to open before the holiday season.

The MakerBot Store in Boston will be located in the busy downtown-shopping district at 144 Newbury Street.  The MakerBot Store in Greenwich, Conn., will also be located in the area’s top shopping destination at 72 Greenwich Avenue.

The new stores will showcase MakerBot’s innovative 3D printers and scanner and will feature the MakerBot 3D Photo Booth, workshops and unique 3D printed gifts.

“Boston and Greenwich are great retail environments and we are excited to bring the MakerBot Store to both cities,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.  “This is also a homecoming of sorts for some of our employees as many attended schools in the area; our president, Jenny Lawton, has also been a retail fixture in Greenwich, Conn., and ran her own tech company in the Boston area.”

The two new MakerBot Stores are planned to open their doors prior to the start of the holiday season.  These two new locations are in addition to the company’s current flagship MakerBot Store at 298 Mulberry Street the NoHo district of New York City.  MakerBot also sells online and through a global network of resellers throughout the world.

“Boston and Greenwich are both terrific, tech-savvy communities, so it seemed natural to expand the MakerBot Store presence in these two areas,” noted Jenny Lawton, president of MakerBot.

When scouting for a new location for the MakerBot Store, Lawton found Boston and Greenwich to be great retail markets for the company.  “We considered locations all around the world, but knew these two neighborhoods offered vibrant retail communities,” she said.  Lawton noted that the MakerBot Store in New York City, which opened in 2012, has become a very successful venture for the company, and is one of the few places in the New York City areas where you can walk in and walk out with a MakerBot product.

Related: MakerBot Launches Thingiverse iPhone App for 3D Printing Community

The MakerBot Store in New York City has become so popular that it is often touted as a tourist destination and has school groups visiting for field trips and visitors from around the world that make the MakerBot Store a must-see place to visit.

Visitors to the MakerBot Store in Boston and Greenwich, as well as the New York MakerBot Store, will have the opportunity to experience the wonder of MakerBot 3D printing technology, such as the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer and the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, live and in-person. Patrons will also have the chance to purchase amazing 3D-printed gifts and accessories made on MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers created at the company’s Brooklyn workshop.

The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer and MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner will also be available for immediate purchase at the MakerBot Store, as will MakerBot PLA and an assortment of ABS Filament, available in more than 30 colors.

Read: MakerBot Store in NYC Drives 3D Printer Sales 

Other attractions scheduled to be at the Boston and Greenwich MakerBot Stores that are sure to delight 3D printing enthusiasts, from hobbyists to professional engineers and designers, include:

• A MakerBot Gum Ball machine with a variety of MakerBot-made miniature 3D printed keepsakes to choose from – look for iconic Greenwich and Boston specialty-themed items
• Ongoing demonstrations by MakerBot 3D Design staff
• Really cool 3D project installations and window displays made on MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers
• Coming soon – The MakerBot Photo Booth – have your photo taken and then printed in 3D!  The popular MakerBot Photo Booth takes just minutes to create a 3D portrait file, which you can then take and create other 3D creations with, or have MakerBot print a 3D portrait or bust

And a final note: MakerBot is hiring. If you live near Boston or Greenwich, apply online at makerbot.com/careers.

MakerBot has been non-stop with major announcements this year.  There was the launch of the Replicator 2X at CES, then the release of of the desktop 3D scanner MakerBot Digitizer, and of course the industry-shaking $403 million acquisition by Stratasys.

Link: Full analysis of the MakerBot acquisition by Stratasys

In addition to selling 3D printers and 3D scanners, MakerBot also operates a website called Thingiverse. And today, the Thingiverse team has a big announcement: the launch of the Thingiverse iPhone app.

“[The Thingiverse] iOS app lets you carry Thingiverse in your pocket or purse all the time,” said the Thingiverse team in a blog post. The app lets you browse Thingiverse and check out featured, noteworthy, and popular designs, all on your phone. You can add items to collections or share via email or social networks.

You can also upload your own photos of things you’ve 3D printed. ”As the world’s largest 3D printing community, we believe that everyone should be encouraged to create and remix 3D things, no matter their technical expertise or previous experience,” said the Thingiverse team.

You can download the Thingiverse app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch a the App Store.

Here is a photo gallery with screenshots from the app.

Related articles:

• Exclusive Video from CES: MakerBot’s Bre Pettis Announces New Printer and More
• Full Analysis of the Stratasys and MakerBot 3D Printing Acquisition
• MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner Goes On Sale for $1400, Video from Bre