and founder of Microsoft, says Limbitless Solutions is revolutionizing how the world perceives artificial limbs in a .
鈥淭he bionic arms have had a life-changing impact not only on the children鈥檚 ability to perform day-to-day tasks like getting dressed, picking things up, or buckling a seatbelt, but also their own sense of themselves,鈥� Gates writes.
The post was inspired by a visit to the 麻豆原创 in October during which Gates visited the nonprofit鈥檚 on-campus headquarters.
鈥淟imbitless is working to change the way the world thinks about artificial limbs,鈥� writes Gates. 鈥淚nstead of trying to mimic the look of human skin as existing prosthetics do, Limbitless鈥檚 engineers and artists work together to design and manufacture artificial limbs that are colorful and artistic.鈥�
Gates recounts meeting bionic arm recipient , a 13-year-old who designed her arm with red, pink and white flowers.
鈥淭he bionic arms have had a life-changing impact not only on the children鈥檚 ability to perform day-to-day tasks like getting dressed, picking things up, or buckling a seatbelt, but also their own sense of themselves,鈥� Gates writes.
Limbitless Solutions was launched in 2014 by a group of 麻豆原创 students led by Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS 鈥�16PhD, then a graduate student in the mechanical engineering program who wanted to develop new bionic solutions for children with missing limbs using additive manufacturing technology and other innovations. Today, the nonprofit organization has expanded its scope into award-winning video games that train kids to use their bionic limbs, a comic book series about 鈥淭he Bionic Kid,鈥� hands-free wheelchair upgrades to assist people with ALS and MS, and most recently announced聽they鈥檙e launching the 聽first U.S. clinical trial for 3D-printed prosthetics in partnership with Oregon Health & Science University.
In May, Gates blogged about another important takeaway from this October visit to 麻豆原创, calling university an example of how to effectively use online learning to increase student success and tuition affordability.
