Dad 3D Prints Prosthetic Superhero Limbs for Kids

Parents are dedicated to giving their children everything they need and more. Sometimes there are limits to the things we can provide for our kids, but thanks to new technology, those limits are increasingly fading.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the home of 30 year old dad Adam Dengel. The British father has a 4-year-old son, Thomas, who was born without hand. Typically, there wouldn’t be all that much a father could do for a son in a situation like that, but these days, you can just buy yourself a handy 3D printer and get to creating a new limb!
That’s exactly what Adam did, using the printer in his bedroom to craft a new prosthetic hand for his son, and now he’s extending his efforts to help children around the world.
Thanks to their experiences with their son, wherein the prosthetic provided by England’s National Health Service left a little something to be desired, Adam and his wife Katie were eager to help children everywhere find a better solution, like the one they printed for Thomas. So they set up the LimbBo Foundation and started printing prosthetic limbs – complete with superhero customizations.
To date, they’ve created 33 personalized limbs for kids – including those in the Americas and Holland – with designs inspired by comic books, like Batman, Spider-man, and Captain America. They even printed a Thomas the Train prosthetic.
“To say we the charity started out as an idea on the sofa we’re thrilled with how things have gone,” Adam told the BBC. “We only ever wanted to help other kids like Thomas and it gives us so much pleasure to know we’re doing that.”
The printer has since moved to the garage, and next up for the LimBo Foundation are specially designed bikes with an ergonomic cup that allows riders to control the bike without leaning. Adam plans to surprise four kids with the soon.
“These kids haven’t had the best start in life and we wanted to help boost their confidence,” Adam said. “Plus this gets them outside, riding bikes with other youngsters, and helping them to make friends.”