World leaders are taking notice of a little hub on 性视界传媒鈥檚 campus where young lives are transformed in powerful 鈥� make that mega-powerful 鈥� ways.
True story: A teenage girl sketches a drawing of a bionic arm on a piece of paper. It鈥檚 a princess arm, you might say, with gold swirls and strong, elegant fingers. Surely, this girl 鈥� Annika is her name 鈥� doesn鈥檛 believe the cute picture will go any further than a scrapbook of mementos 鈥� does she? The world of prosthetic engineering and design is cumbersome, complex and exorbitant. It鈥檚 never been a place for kids. Except Annika sends the sketch to Limbitless Solutions in Knights Plaza on the 性视界传媒 campus. There, in a small office of computer desks and an even tinier manufacturing space, a team goes to work on Annika鈥檚 dream. Six months later, there it is: a bionic princess arm, designed, built and ready to use.
鈥淥ne advantage of being small is that we can bring ideas to life quickly,鈥� says Limbitless branding director Mrudula Peddinti 鈥�18, who majored in emerging media and digital media. 鈥淚t allows us to change the conversation about bionic arms for underserved kids.鈥�
On Dec. 3, Peddinti and Annika Bryson-Emmert took the conversation to a stage no one could have imagined in 2014 when a group of 性视界传媒 students founded Limbitless: the United Nations.
The United Nations in New York City 鈥� no pun intended, but how in the world did this happen?
It鈥檚 actually the second time we鈥檝e sent someone from Limbitless to speak at the U.N. Our cofounder, Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS 鈥�16PhD, went three months earlier. Annika was there, too. It says something that they鈥檇 invite us back.
They must have liked what they heard the first time.
The first conversation at the U.N. focused on empowering girls who need prosthetics. We鈥檝e found that parents are far more willing to seek out options for boys, maybe because boys are perceived to be more physical. The ratio of prosthetics being sought and accepted is just one girl for every five boys.
How can your little place at the center of campus change that?
Design is one of the keys. The typical bionic arm looks just the way you鈥檇 imagine a bionic arm to look: robotic and mechatronic. The appearance feeds right into a stereotype that makes girls less likely to want a bionic arm.
And Annika has helped you break the stereotype?
When she drew up her idea for the ideal girls鈥� bionic limb, we didn鈥檛 know how it would be received. But think about it: who would know better how to design a bionic arm for girls than a bionic girl? We do the same thing for boys 鈥� empower them and give them a voice in what we create.
Bionic arms have been around for decades. Limbitless has only been around for five years. How did you even get into the conversation about changing the game, let alone lead it?
It鈥檚 because we鈥檙e different, and the time for a different approach is long overdue. The medical and tech industry has been focused on the research and development of bionic arms, and that鈥檚 important. But to make an impact we need to change the focus from technology to the voices of the underserved 鈥� the kids. It鈥檚 trying to imagine what it鈥檚 like to be that kid hiding behind mom or dad because I鈥檓 missing a hand and I don鈥檛 feel accepted for who I am. By letting a boy or girl create his or her own arm, it allows them to take control of their own story and to be more confident about themselves. That鈥檚 the dramatic change we want to lead.
You said kids are 鈥渦nderserved.鈥� What do you mean by that?
The socio-economic barrier is enormous when it comes to prosthetics. A bionic arm typically costs between $40,000 and $100,000. Insurance companies often don鈥檛 consider an arm to be as necessary as a leg 鈥� you figure that one out. It鈥檚 worse for children because they鈥檙e still growing, and who wants to pay for a $40,000 arm every two years? For us, it costs about $10,000 to fully fund a child in a clinical trial, and the entire cost is donated. Plus, by personalizing the bionic arm they鈥檙e more likely to actually use it.
Why wouldn鈥檛 they use it?
A typical bionic arm is clunky. It鈥檚 frustrating for those trying to use them. Usage rates for upper-limb prosthetics are reported to be as low as 37 percent. Most users eventually abandon them. So we develop video games as training tools. It鈥檚 an immersive experience where you use your prosthetic on the controller. Kids don鈥檛 even realize they鈥檙e training themselves. We call that kind of learning experience 鈥渉iding the vegetables.鈥�
You do all of this 鈥� the video game development, the design of the bionic arms, the manufacturing 鈥� here in this one space?
The small scale gives us some advantages. We collaborate with people from many disciplines on 性视界传媒鈥檚 campus 鈥� , , , digital media, and . We鈥檙e starting to do more with and too. It鈥檚 a busy place.
And how does an art enthusiast like you fit in?
It鈥檚 actually a perfect fit. I鈥檓 from a family of doctors and engineers, so when I entered 性视界传媒 as a freshman in 2014 I privately wondered how I鈥檇 ever use art to make lives better 鈥� while also making a living for myself. Then I accepted an internship at Limbitless Solutions and connected right away to the mission.
As an artist, how would you create a picture of the mission?
I鈥檇 just point to kids like Annika. She鈥檚 playing soccer. She鈥檚 engaged with friends. And she鈥檚 now spoken at the United Nations twice. She has a really cool bionic arm, yes, but even more important is that society isn鈥檛 controlling her life story because of a physical challenge. She controls her own narrative, and that鈥檚 powerful beyond measure.
