Girl's superhero-inspired 3D-printed arm spews out glitter
She named her arm cannon 'Project Unicorn.'
When Jordan Reeves was given the chance to create her own superhero-inspired prosthetic arm, she conjured up something other 10-year-old girls can only dream of. She designed a cannon that can slip into her left arm that stops above her elbow and shoot sparkly ammunition: glitter. Jordan designed her "weapon" named Project Unicorn when she participated in nonprofit KIDmob's and 3D software company Autodesk's Superhero Cyborgs program in San Francisco. It connected kids with who needed prosthetic arms with engineers who helped them realize their own superhero-inspired designs.
Jordan and the other participants used Autodesk's 3D design tools, including user-friendly 3D modeler Tinkercad and Fusion 360, to test their prototypes. They then 3D printed actual, working versions of their creations. Kids like Jordan can have fun with their prosthetics, since it's not advisable to get more expensive ones until they're old enough not to outgrow them.
Non-profit group Limbitless Solutions once 3D-printed an Iron Man gauntlet for a seven-year-old kid. A startup called Open Bionics is also working on 3D-printed arms inspired by Star Wars, Iron Man and Frozen's Elsa. While Jordan thinks her cannon is fun and exciting, she says she'd love to have something more practical, as well. Something that can hold her phone and carry heavy things like groceries. According to Fast Company, Autodesk designer Sam Hobish is helping her create a more useful modular arm, so she can swap out her cannon whenever she needs to.
