3d-printed-iron-man-gauntlet-becomes-a-kids-awesome-bionic-arm
It looks like Iron Man's arm, but it's actually a fully-functioning bionic prosthetic for a seven-year-old kid. Electronically wired and capable of moving, it can, for instance, open and close its hand if the user flexes their bicep. The limb was created by Limbitless Solutions, a non-profit made up of engineering students from the University of Central Florida, using donations and money they saved by sacrificing coffee. They specialize in designing 3D-printed limbs for children, because kids will quickly outgrow more expensive bionic limbs. Sure, their creations don't have the sense of touch and can't be controlled by thoughts, but kids will definitely appreciate looking like their favorite robot or superhero.
Each limb costs the team around $350 in materials -- they use a 3D printer from the university's lab -- and takes them approximately 30 to 50 hours to make. The Iron Man-inspired arm, in particular, was made for a kid named Alex, who also got an Optimus Prime version for Christmas. Alex even got to chitchat with Tony Stark a.k.a. Robert Downey Jr. when he was presented his new arm, and you can watch their meeting below. If you want to support the team and have them print out more cool arms for kids, you can donate via PayPal through their website.
