Bioniks 3D printed superhero arm
Mir's uses his Iron Man-themed arm to shake hands
Pakistan’s first biomedical 3D printing company, Bioniks, has produced the country’s first ever 3D-printed prosthetic arm for a five-year-old boy.
The prosthetic part has not only helped Mir Bayyan to play like an able-bodied child, but it is also Iron Man-themed, Mir’s favourite superhero. Mir’s father initially reached out to Bioniks and the company were happy to take up the challenge of building the prosthetic limb with an Xplorer 3D printer. The arm is designed and open-sourced by Team UnLimbited in the UK.
Not content with just providing a rudimentary superhero themed arm, Bioniks even included a shooting light beam, so Mir’s right arm can be even more alike Iron Man’s. Though, Mir will have to regularly change his prosthetic arm as he grows, he is extremely happy with his current version.
Bioniks
Bioniks 3D arm
Mir's superhero arm in its entirety
Following Bioniks’ breakthrough in the production of prosthetics using 3D technology, the company has received requests from Karachi, Nawabshah and Behrain. The Bioniks co-founders, Ovais Qureshi and Anas Niaz, now want to improve the technology at their disposable and make it more accessible to those who need prosthetics throughout Pakistan.
Since the success of Mir’s superhero-themed prosthetic, Bioniks have launched a crowdfunding campaign entitled ‘Real Life Superheroes’. Bioniks are hosting the campaign on ZingoHub, a crowdfunding platform for creators and innovators, in the hope of getting financial support to allow them to help disabled children a better life.
The ‘Real Life Superheroes’ campaign specifically aims to give the life a disabled child dreams of, attempting to make a positive and confidence-boosting change in the child’s life. Those in need of prosthetics, or know someone in need, can contact Bioniks who will design the model according to their specific needs. They can also talk to Mir and his family over Skype, so they can tell their story, and all 3D printing enthusiasts can have a tour of Bioniks’ 3D printing facility.
