Marvel and 'Frozen'-Inspired Bionic Hands Given To Amputee Children Thanks To Open Bionics' Partnership With Disney
Losing a limb can be devastating for an adult. It can be even worse for a child. Thankfully, medical technology and the ability to create more lifelike prosthetics are allowing children to regain the limb that was taken away from them.
As a part of the Techstar Disney Accelerator program, startup Open Bionics has been developing Disney-inspired bionic limbs for children who have lost them. The company is building these bionics in the hopes that kids get excited about prosthetics, as the idea of having a robotic hand and arm can be quite daunting for someone so young. Thankfully, with designs inspired by the likes of Marvel’s Iron Man and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Open Bionics is doing just that.
In a press release on their website, Open Bionics stated, “Now kids can get excited about their prosthetics. They won’t have to do boring physical therapy, they’ll train to become heroes. They’re not just getting medical devices, they’re getting bionic hands inspired by their favorite characters.”
The Walt Disney Company is lending its creative teams and providing royalty free licenses to ensure that every product that the British startup creates encapsulates every aspect of the heroes kids love. Open Bionics is also creating Star Wars-inspired bionics and says that more designs are on their way.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Marvel-inspired prosthetic. In 2014, 3-year-old Rayden Kahae received a 3D-printed prosthetic that was created to emulate Iron Man’s gauntlets by the non-profit company E-Nable.