8-year-old Jimmy Wilson not only loves to ride his bike but also to perform tricks, jumps and spins on his BMX. Born with a missing left hand, it is a challenge for him to manoeuvre the handlebars.
In order to create a custom 3D printed prothesis for Jimmy, one of e-Nable’s top designer, Peter Binkley, teamed up with Intel and pro-BMX athlete Jeremiah Smith.
“What I was thinking first, is that you’d need to have a swivel that rotates on the z-axis, but then you’d also need something that you need to be able to rock,” Peter explains. “That’s the plan. Is to connect a ball to the handlebar and then make a socket that Jimmy can wear on his hand to pop over the ball. That should give him a lot of mobility.”
The design, created with an Intel-powered device, was 3D printed on the Ultimaker 2. The first prototype will be tested by Jimmy to give feedback to Peter and work with him on refining the design, which will then be openly shared.
“When you make a device for a person, there is a kind of satisfaction that comes from putting a smile on someone’s face that you just never forget, you never let go,” Peter shared.
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