Changing Future: Fairy-Tale-Ish 3D Printed Bionic Hands For Kids (video)
UK-based company Open Bionics together with Disney made a huge step in developing prosthetic arms for children.
Their devices modeled after Iron Man, Elsa from “Frozen” and a glowing and buzzing “lightsaber hand” based on the “Star Wars” universe are produced with the help of 3D-printing technology. It allows reducing the cost of prosthetic hands and children absolutely adore these inventions.
Source: Open Bionics
Let’s meet some of them:
Tilly Lockey
Tilly Lockey is an 11-year-old from Durham who lost her hands after she developed meningitis as a baby. Now she got a prototype bionic hand and as she said it “looks awesome and it makes you feel confident.”
“Instead of people thinking they feel sorry for you because you don’t have a hand, they’re like: ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a cool hand!’” she said. Tilly’s hand is themed on Deus Ex, one of her favorite video games.
Tilly’s first couple of minutes wearing a #bionic hand. Tilly’s choosing when to close the fingers and how fast. pic.twitter.com/E53OUBw6Qd
— Open Bionics (@openbionics) July 21, 2016
Alex Pring
“Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. met Alex Pring of Groveland, the young boy who received a 3-D printed prosthetic right arm produced at the University of Central Florida. The Iron Man prosthetic has a “pulsar blaster” and it seems like such hand makes Alex feel like a superhero.
Another bionic arm design based on the Frozen movie and known as “Snowflake Hand” despite it not freeze its surroundings. It has a glittery look that creators feel will appeal to children who are fans of Frozen.
Kieran’s Hand
Kieran, who is missing all of the fingers on his right hand because of the Amniotic Band Syndrome, finds new freedom by receiving a prosthetic that is often unattainable for kids. Usually, modern prosthetics cost a lot and kids quickly outgrow them. E-NABLE organization and a group of volunteers are using open-source technology and 3-D printers to provide free prosthetic hands for children and adults who need them.
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