A young girl is fitted with a brightly colored 3D printed arm by Haifa 3D. Photo: courtesy Superman, Spiderman, Hello Kitty or FC Barcelona – if you had the choice to stylize your appearance according to your favorite superhero, which would you choose?
This tough choice is one that faces Israeli children about to receive a bionic hand. And according to the man offering these hands, the more colorful and standout they are, the better.
“For me personally it was a surprise that the kids don’t want hands that resemble natural ones, but technological hands that are similar to robotic ones,” says Yacov Malinovich, cofounder of Haifa 3D, an organization that provides Israeli children and adults with bionic hands, arms and accessories.
“They usually order superhero hands,” he chuckles.
Most children opt for colorful printed hands that give them newfound confidence. Photo courtesy of Haifa 3D
The option to customize and create colorful hands is just one of the advantages of using 3D printing technologies. Another is that the simple process results in a mechanical arm made of plastic.
“That’s its advantage and disadvantage,” Malinovich explains. “If it breaks, we fix it or renew it; it’s part of the simplicity.” And Malinovich is actually more than happy to see broken (plastic) limbs, since there’s no better indication that they’re being extensively used.-- More...
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