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College students Creating robotic arms for children
Transcript
Problems That Needed to be Solved
The students needed to be able to solve these problems in order to accomplish their idea:
1. How would they be able to make the hand move electronically?
2. How would they attach the arm to the child?
The Process
- Each electronic limb that is created takes around 30-50 hours of development
- The cost of materials: $350
- Location of creation: UCF's manufacturing lab
Individuality
- Each electronic arm is unique to every child, tailored to their likes and interests
- The creators of the limb will discuss the interests of the child including:
- favorite color,superhero, and interests
- For example, children have requested designs from superheros and Disney's "Frozen"
- The creators have discovered that children don't necessarily want to blend in
The UCF Team
- Students and graduates of the University of Central Florida is a special team that creates electronic arms for children that live without real ones through the use of a 3D printer
- UCF team operates a nonprofit organization called Limbitless Solutions
Spreading the Word
What Makes UCF Team So Unique?
- The majority of 3D arms that are created are mechanical arms, this aspect creates an issue for children that do not have elbows
- The importance of the elbow in the mechanical arm is that the child would open and close their mechanical hand by bending their elbow
- The inspiring story of the creator of the team, Albert Manero, and his first successful electronic limb given to patient Alex Pring was featured on The Today Show as well as other national news outlets
- The Ufc team had gained international attention
- Families from more than 25 different countries around the world have contacted the team to help their children
- However, the students of the UCF team had created an idea for the creation of an electric arm with a muscle sensor
- This muscle senor would allow the child to open and close the hand by flexing their bicep
- The team has been able to create electronic arms for 5 children and are working with 3 more children currently