Robotic-Arm Engineer

While I was working on my Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Central Florida, I heard an interview on the radio with Ivan Owen. He helped create the first 3-D printed mechanical hand. Using this technology to make prostheses was such an amazing idea. I started a side project with people from my lab, experimenting with 3-D printed hands.

About a year later, in 2014, a family reached out to me. Their son had been born without an arm below his elbow. They wanted me to help build him a prosthesis. That’s when my colleagues and I decided to launch Limbitless Solutions. After months of work, we created our first artificial limb—a design that evolved into an Iron Man-themed arm. Since then, we’ve made more than 40 personalized bionic arms. Thanks to donations, we provide our prosthetic limbs to patients free of charge.

The limbs sense electrical activity in muscles. Every time a person moves, an electrical signal travels from their brain to a muscle telling it to flex. Electrode stickers that are attached to the skin near the end of a person’s biological limb sense this electrical activity. These stickers transmit the signal to a computer chip in the prosthetic arm. Depending on the strength and location of the signal, the prosthetic hand will open and close or make different gestures.

Learning to use a prosthetic limb isn’t always easy, so our team developed video games that help kids practice limb control. Players wear electrode stickers attached to a special controller to move game characters by flexing their muscles, the same way they would with the prosthesis. This makes it easier for kids to master the more difficult functions.

We’re testing a motorized wheelchair that a person controls with their facial muscles. It uses the same electrode-based technique as our prostheses. It’s designed for people with diseases affecting the brain, nerves, or spinal cord. They might not be able to operate the joystick that controls a typical electric wheelchair. Our intention is to give them the ability to be more independent.

As an engineer, you need to be able to come up with ideas to solve different problems. That’s why you should always be in the mindset of learning, adapting, and trying new things. You might encounter something in a class that doesn’t seem relevant at first but could prove useful later on.

The best part is seeing the smiles on kids’ faces as they use their new arms. That’s when I know I’ve really made a longterm impact.