Engineers Provide Child With A 3D Printed Robotic Arm

By Chuck Seegert, Ph.D.

A University of Central Florida (UCF) engineering team helped a 6-year-old boy’s dreams come true by giving him a new arm. The UCF team designed and 3D printed a robotic arm that allowed the child to shake hands for the first time.

E-Nable is a network of people interested in the 3D printing of prosthetic hands for those in need. Using this network, a UCF graduate student named Albert Manero connected with a young boy named Alex Pring, according to a recent press release from Stratasys, the company that makes the 3D printing equipment. Born without his right arm, Alex had often wished to climb trees or shake hands, but lacked the ability to do so.

Manero, a Ph.D. student of aerospace engineering, a Fulbright scholar, and a volunteer at E-Nable, helped to address Alex’s problem. Over the course of seven weeks, he and his team designed Alex’s new arm, according to the press release. The arm was fabricated using the Stratasys Dimension Elite 3D printer and multiple iterations were run to refine the design. Composed of a thermoplastic material from Stratasys, the arm was both strong and lightweight.

"He learned to use the prosthetic fast," Manero said in the press release. "When he could control it, the first thing he did was hug his mother. He said it was their first real hug. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. I think 3D printing is revolutionizing our world in many ways. I believe changing the world of prosthetics is very real."

As Alex grows, the team plans to print larger arms that will fit him more appropriately, according to the press release. The team also plans to publish the design files online for public access, so others may enjoy the benefits of their work. Manufacturing a prosthetic arm by leveraging 3D printing costs a fraction of what a traditional methods cost, so many people may be interested. In addition, the team plans to continue refining the design, improving it as they find opportunities to do so.

Robotics in the area of prosthetics is currently a huge focus in the medical device space. Recently, in an article on Med Device Online, a robotic arm controlled by the user’s thoughts was discussed.

Image Credit: Kt Crabb Photography