Open Bionics creates superhero prosthetic hands for kids

For those born without an arm or who have had one amputated, there is now a way to take being different to being cool with these new superhero prosthetics. Unveiled by Open Bionics, the small medical devices swerve children away from realism into something fun.

The company released three LED-studded designs at Techstars' Disney Accelerator Demo Day: Star Wars, Marvel, and Frozen. Modeled by a 12-year-old boy, a Jedi hand was designed in collaboration with Lucasfilm’s ILMxLABto to resemble Star Wars’ lightsaber. A second design resembles Tony Stark's signature bionic style, and the final one looks like Elsa from Disney's Frozen with baby blue sparkles and snowflakes.

All of Open Bionics’ projects have feedback sensors in the fingertips to sense grip and know when not to push too hard. The hands use 3D- printed ABS as a durable material to replace the titanium and carbon fiber, which drive up the costs of traditional prostheses.

As part of founder Joel Gibbard's Open Hand Project, the superhero prostheses design were part of a larger vision. He determined that people were more concerned with the weight and look of the prosthetic hand than the amount of fine motor control that it had. Many rely on using a claw rather than a realistic hand due to costly prices, which led him to focus more on design and a fashion accessory instead of a literal interpretation of a human arm.

Gibbard says children amputees often try to hide cosmetic hands because they feel different or because the devices can be bulky. His solution: a superhero-inspired prosthetic hand which transforms a medical device into an imaginative statement.

Source: Gizmag