Albert Manero designs high-tech limbs that make kids feel like superheroes!
Learning Objective: Students will summarize how and why a robotic-arm engineer designs prosthetic limbs.
Zachary Pamboukas is just like any other kid in most ways. But when he was 12 years old, he received a gift that made him stand out: a red and gold right arm. It looks like a high-tech superhero’s!
Zachary Pamboukas is just like any other kid in most ways. But he got a gift when he was 12 years old. It made him stand out. It was a red and gold right arm. It looks like a high-tech superhero’s!
COURTESY OF ALBERT MANERO
Albert Manero
Albert Manero designed this special limb for Zachary. Manero is an engineer who creates prosthetic (prahss-THEH-tik) arms for kids. Each year, about 1,500 babies in the U.S. are born missing part or all of one of their arms. Other kids can lose their limbs because of illness or injury.
Prosthetic arms can help these kids do everyday tasks, like tying their shoes or riding their bikes. But prosthetic arms for kids can be expensive. They can be heavy and bulky. And they don’t always work in ways kids need them to.
That’s why Manero founded Limbitless Solutions. The company creates prosthetic arms out of lightweight plastic using 3-D printers. These machines build up layers of material to make solid objects.
Unlike other prosthetic limbs, Limbitless’s plastic versions have magnetic attachments that kids can snap on for different tasks. They can swap out different colors or styles to match their mood!
The limbs are also bionic. That means they have electrical parts for moving fingers and grasping objects. Manero spoke with SuperSTEM about his work designing these life-changing limbs.
Albert Manero made this special arm for Zachary. Manero is an engineer. He creates prosthetic (prahss-THEH-tik) arms for kids. About 1,500 babies in the U.S. are born missing part or all of one of their arms each year. Other kids can lose their arms because of illness or injury.
Prosthetic arms can help these kids do daily tasks. That includes everything from tying their shoes to riding bikes. But these arms for kids can cost a lot. They can be heavy and bulky. And they don’t always work in ways kids need them to.
That’s why Manero founded Limbitless Solutions. The company creates prosthetic arms out of lightweight plastic. They make them using 3-D printers. These machines build up layers of material. This creates solid objects.
Limbitless’s arms also have magnetic pieces. Kids can snap them on to do different tasks. They can swap out different colors or styles to match their mood!
The limbs are also bionic. That means they have electrical parts. They allow the fingers to move. Then kids can grasp objects. Manero spoke with SuperSTEM about his work making these life-changing limbs.
What inspired you to start Limbitless Solutions?
Years ago, I was studying engineering at the University of Central Florida. I heard an interview on the radio with a designer who helped create the first 3-D printed mechanical hand. I thought: Using this technology to make prosthetic devices is an amazing idea!
I decided to start a project with people from my lab. We began experimenting with making hands using a 3-D printer.
About a year later, in 2014, a family reached out to me. Their son had been born without an arm below his elbow. They asked me to build him a prosthetic arm. My team and I decided to start Limbitless Solutions. After months of work, we created our first prosthetic limb. Over time, we redesigned this first arm to be an Iron Man-themed arm!
Since then, we’ve made dozens of different bionic arm designs. Thanks to donations, we can give our prosthetic limbs to patients for free.
Years ago, I was studying engineering. I was a student at the University of Central Florida. I heard an interview on the radio. It was with a designer who helped create the first 3-D printed mechanical hand. I thought that was amazing!
I decided to start a project with people from my lab. We began testing out making hands using a 3-D printer.
A family reached out to me about a year later in 2014. Their son had been born without an arm below his elbow. They asked me to build him an arm. My team and I decided to start Limbitless Solutions. We created our first arm after months of work. It was Iron Man-themed!
Since then, we’ve made dozens of different arm designs. We give our prosthetic arms to patients for free. That’s thanks to donations.
How do your prosthetic devices work?
The limbs contain technology that senses electrical energy in a person’s muscles. Every time a person moves, an electrical signal travels from their brain to a muscle, telling it to flex.
We attach special stickers called electrodes to the skin near the end of a person’s limb. These stickers sense electrical activity. The stickers send the electrical signal to a small computer in the prosthetic arm. The computer detects the strength and location of the signal. Then it tells the hand to open, close, or make different movements.
Learning to use a prosthetic limb isn’t easy. So our team has created video games to help kids practice using their new limb. Players wear electrode stickers that attach to a special controller. The kids move game characters by flexing their muscles, the same way they would with the prosthetic arm. This helps kids master more difficult arm movements.
An electrical signal travels from a person’s brain to their muscles every time they move. Our prosthetic arms have technology that senses this electrical energy.
We attach special stickers to a person’s skin. The stickers are called electrodes. They’re stuck near the end of a person’s limb. These stickers sense electrical activity. They send the signal to a small computer. It’s in the prosthetic arm. The computer detects the strength and location of the signal. Then it tells the hand to open, close, or make other movements.
Learning to use a prosthetic limb isn’t easy. So our team has created video games. They help kids practice using their new arm. Players wear electrode stickers. They attach to a special controller. The kids move game characters by flexing their muscles. It’s just like they would with the prosthetic arm. This helps kids master more challenging arm movements.
What projects are you working on now?
Recently, we developed a new wheelchair that a person can control using just the muscles in their face. The wheelchair is designed for people with diseases that affect the brain, nerves, or spine. People with these conditions might not be able to use their hand to control a typical electric wheelchair. We hope these new wheelchairs will help them do more tasks independently.
Recently, we made a new wheelchair. A person can control it using just the muscles in their face. Some people can’t use their hand to control a typical electric wheelchair. They might have diseases that affect the brain, nerves, or spine. We hope these new wheelchairs will help them do more tasks on their own.
COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
A Limbitless team member paints prosthetic parts blue.
What advice would you give kids who want to become engineers?
As an engineer, you need to come up with ideas to solve different problems. That’s why it’s important to always try new things! You might come across something in a class that doesn’t seem important at first but could prove useful later on.
Engineers need to come up with ideas to solve different problems. That’s why it’s important to always try new things! You might come across something in a class that doesn’t seem important at first. But it could prove useful later on.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love seeing the smiles on kids’ faces as they use their new arms! That’s when I know I’ve made a long-term impact.
I love seeing kids use their new arms. I love seeing the smiles on their faces! That’s when I know I’ve made a long-term impact.
1. PREPARE TO READ (10 minutes)
Observe and analyze hand and arm
2. READ AND REFLECT (20 minutes)
Read an article about a prosthetic-limb designer and come up with questions to ask him.
3. RESPOND TO READING (45-60 minutes)
Make and observe a model finger, take hand and arm measurements, then design a prosthetic arm.
