Rice Engineering Students Create Low-Cost Robotic Arm For Teen With Brittle Bones

A team of engineering students at Rice University have created the R-ARM, a robotic arm designed to help 17-year-old Dee Faught who has a genetic condition that causes brittle bones called osteogenesis imperfecta. The R-ARM fits onto Faught’s wheelchair, and can be used to pick up objects and perform other tasks with a video game controller. “It will help me be more independent,” Faught said to Rice News, “Now that I’m going to get it, I can’t wait. Not many kids I know get to get a robotic arm.” The engineering students won the George R. Brown School of Engineering Design Showcase and Competition with their creation, and have plans to commercially produce the lower-cost robotic arm. While most commercial robot arms cost at least $25,000, the engineering students were able to build Faught’s for less than $800.

via Neatorama