Meet Benjamin Choi, 17, who built a $300 mind-controlled prosthetic arm
Benjamin Choi, a teenager from Virginia, developed an affordable, non-invasive mind-controlled prosthetic arm during the pandemic. Using 3D printing and basic programming, he created a device that offers a low-cost alternative to expensive, surgery-dependent medical technology.
Why it matters
It demonstrates the potential for accessible, DIY engineering to solve complex medical accessibility issues using modern, low-cost manufacturing tools.
Each one of us spent the pandemic doing something that we normally wouldn't have the time to. While some picked up numerous indoor hobbies, others studied hard enough to change career pathways. Benjamin Choi, a then 17-year-old kid, put his spare time during the phase to design an accessible device that does not require brain surgery.When he was in third grade, Choi watched a "60 Minutes" documentary about a mind-controlled prosthesis. Researchers implanted tiny sensors into the motor cortex of the brain of a patient who moved a robotic arm using her thoughts. “I was really, really amazed at the time because this technology was so impressive,” he said to Smithsonian Magazine. “But I was also alarmed that they require this really risky open brain surgery.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in