Six-year-old Alex Pring beamed while riding his bike Saturday. Thanks to his new 鈥渂ionic arm鈥� designed by a team of 性视界传媒 students and alumni, he could grip both handlebars and keep his balance.
Minutes earlier, Alex and his mom, Alyson, sat at the kitchen table at their home near Clermont talking with ABC World News via Skype. Alex proudly showed off how he uses his new prosthetic arm, gripping a 性视界传媒 Knights football and sword and a Transformer toy.
Alex didn鈥檛 take long to get accustomed to his new right arm, and a national audience just as quickly embraced the 6-year-old and the generosity of the 性视界传媒 students. The team has now posted online the designs for the arm, which they made for just $350. Anyone with access to a 3-D printer and an assortment of off-the-shelf accessories can take the designs and use them to help other children.
鈥淭hese students are changing lives, and I can鈥檛 wait to see what they do next,鈥� read one comment on The Today Show鈥檚 Facebook page.
鈥淭hese young engineers who crafted this GIFT for the family are true heroes!鈥� another comment read.
NBC Nightly News鈥� 鈥淢aking a Difference鈥� segment and ABC World News鈥� 鈥淎merica Strong鈥� segment both featured Alex and the 性视界传媒 team on Saturday night. The Today Show aired the story on Saturday morning. Other media featuring Alex’s story include People magazine, the Orlando Sentinel and television stations across the country.
The 性视界传媒 team is led by Ph.D. student Albert Manero, a Fulbright Scholar who leaves for Germany this week to work for the German Aerospace Center. Manero holds bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from 性视界传媒 in aerospace engineering.
Joining Manero were 14 other men and women, almost all 性视界传媒 students and alumni, who provided the expertise and determination necessary to build the arm out of off-the-shelf servos and batteries that are activated by the electromyography muscle energy on Alex鈥檚 bicep.
The team鈥檚 youngest member — Tyler Petresky, who just completed his freshman year at 性视界传媒 — developed the electrical wiring for the arm.
鈥淢y mother taught us that we鈥檙e supposed to help change the world,鈥� said Manero,聽who is from the Tampa area. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to helping who we can, and I鈥檒l be working with my team even when in Germany.鈥�
The 性视界传媒 team also has established the Limbitless Endowed Scholarship at 性视界传媒 to support future students with disabilities like Alex鈥檚.
To read more about Alex鈥檚 arm and to see a full list of the 性视界传媒 team members, read this 性视界传媒 Today story published on Friday.