BMES Adjustable Pediatric Prosthetic Arm

Biomedical Engineering Society created a subgroup to work on a project to present at Imagine RIT. Members of the club, specifically this subgroup, came together to create a prototype for an adjustable pediatric prosthetic arm that 'grows' with the child. This prototype was created to go up to the elbow and is meant to tackle some of the common issues that come with child prosthetics. Because children grow so quickly, pediatric prosthetics are not as sophisticated or flexible as those made for adults. It is often expected that children will outgrow them quickly so they are usually very stiff and bulky. Which is what the members working on this project wanted to address. They wanted to make a pediatric prosthetic that could be used by children ages 7 - 16 and make the components adjustable to 'grow' in wideness/length with the child. They sought to include similar mechanisms and flexibility akin to actual arm movement while making it size adjustable for a growing child. Using innovative tools like a 3D scan to create a more accurate prosthetic prototype and 3D printed material for a cheaper final product.