Superhero Arm
- Fields Medical, User Centered, Video
- Autodesk and Kidmob.org
- instructables.com
- 2015
I met Payton Robinson though a summer camp called Superhero Cyborgs where kids got the opportunity to design their own prosthetic devices or exoskeletons. Payton had some really amazing ideas about what they wanted to see in their own prosthetics, and I decided to take some of these ideas to the next level.
The first innovation Payton was imagining had to do with the socket portion of thier prosthetic arm. Everyone knows that children grow quickly. Kids with limb differences are no different in this way from the rest of us. Prosthetic sockets, though are made from rigid materials that cannot change size as kids grow.
Their second idea was to create what they called a ‘swiss army knife’ of prosthetic attachments. Rather than creating a device with a hook or semi-functional mechanical hand, Payton and I decided to create an arsenal of kid-friendly and functional attachments.
(The video and some other content about this project refers to Payton’s given name, Aidan, and uses him/he pronouns. Edits are underway to match their preferred name and pronouns.)