Children’s arm prosthetics with multiple grips
20th August 2024
20th August 2024
Recently we got to meet Liam and his love for the Hero Arm was infectious, so we decided to look back at why children’s arm prosthetics get so much love from kids and parents.
We think it starts with the fact that the smallest version of the Hero Arm was co-designed with children.
Here are some of the features that were considered as part of the design process
It was important that the grip grasp was big enough to handle grabbing cups, bottles, hair brushes, hair dryers, toothbrushes, school bags, books, bike handles, and Pokemon cards. Other prosthetics for children have a narrow grasp that cannot even expand wide enough to hold a cup…
It was also important for the grip to be reliable. It is important that children can confidently grip the handlebars of a bike without the hand opening. We developed ‘freeze mode’ which disables the sensors in the arm so that there is zero chance of triggering the finger motors for these moments, where having your hand locked around an object is super important enabling you to focus on the task at hand.
Children grow fast in height but also in taste! One day Iron Man is the leading man and their favorite hero, the next week it’s Spider-man. It is important for children to be able to exercise freedom of choice over their prosthesis. They’re more likely to want to wear a device that speaks to them and their interests personally, and because those interests change over time we developed the Hero Arm to be changeable. The magnetic covers enable kids to snap designs and colors on and off, goodbye Iron Man, hello Spider-man! Their Hero Arm grows with them.
Kids are busy and they’re super active! They’re running around the playground, they’re doing homework, playing with friends, running away from the chores, and trying out new hobbies. All the movement results in heat and in children’s prosthetics previously that would mean sweat would accumulate at the bottom of the socket which you could actually tip out! The Hero Arm is the only device available that offers ventilation in both the socket and frame enabling airflow directly to the skin.
Kids do all the things! Children’s arm prosthetics need to keep up and offer a diversity of functions. We designed the Hero Arm to offer multiple grips to cover a range of activities. The full hand grasp is perfect for riding their bike around, the tripod grip is better for tying shoe laces. The Hero Arm is the only children’s prosthetic small and light enough to fit children like Liam who is just six years old!
Anyway, here is Liam who is a massive fan of Black Panther; his clinician in Los Angeles bought them matching t-shirts for the delivery appointment!
We can’t wait to hear what they think about our tech! Register details using the link and we’ll be in touch to share the next steps for booking a Hero Arm demo.