Glitter Girl

Most kids can’t shoot glitter from their arm. But Jordan Reeves can. The 11-year-old does it with the help of an artificial limb called a prosthesis (pross-THEE-sis). This device replaces a missing or injured body part.

Jordan, who lives in Missouri, was born without a fully formed left arm. This means that doing some tasks—like riding a bike— can be difficult. To help, Jordan wears a prosthetic arm.

But what if an artificial arm could do amazing things that a regular arm can’t do?

Last year, Jordan went to a design workshop in California. She was given a challenge: to create a prosthesis that would give her a superhero ability. Jordan got to work building an arm that shoots glitter.

Most kids can't shoot glitter from their arm. But Jordan Reeves can. She does it with the help of an artificial limb. It's called a prosthesis (pross-THEE-sis). This device replaces a missing or injured body part.

Jordan is 11 years old. She lives in Missouri. Jordan was born without a fully formed left arm. This means that doing some tasks-like riding a bike- can be difficult. To help, Jordan wears a prosthetic arm.

But what if an artificial arm could do amazing things that a regular arm can't do?

Last year, Jordan went to a design workshop in California. She was given a challenge. That was to create a prosthesis that would give her a superhero ability. Jordan got to work. She began building an arm that shoots glitter. 

Jordan isn’t alone in her quest for a better prosthesis. Each year, about 2,000 babies in the U.S. are born missing all or part of a limb. Other kids lose limbs because of illness or injury. Prostheses help these kids carry out day-to-day tasks. 

But these devices are expensive. They are specially made to fit each person. This means they take a long time to build. Kids can outgrow the devices before they ever wear them.

Kate Ganim understood that kids’ prosthetic devices needed improving. She works for KIDmob, a group that runs design workshops for kids. In 2016, Jordan attended a workshop with five other kids who use prosthetic arms. 

Ganim asked the kids to rethink what their artificial arms could be. Most prostheses imitate a natural limb. “But what if a prosthesis could give kids a new ability?” she says.

Jordan isn't alone in her quest for a better prosthesis. Each year, about 2,000 babies in the U.S. are born missing all or part of a limb. Other kids lose limbs because of illness or injury. Prostheses help these kids carry out tasks they do everyday.

But these devices are expensive. They are specially made to fit each person. This means they take a long time to build. Kids can outgrow the devices. Sometimes before they ever wear them.

Kate Ganim understood that kids' prosthetic devices needed improving. She works for KIDmob. The group runs design workshops for kids. In 2016, Jordan attended a workshop. Five other kids who use prosthetics joined her.

Ganim asked the kids to rethink what their artificial arms could be. Most prostheses imitate a natural limb. "But what if a prosthesis could give kids a new ability?" she says.

The kids thought up ideas for their superhero limbs. Some kids wanted limbs that could help them play sports. Others, like Jordan, wanted their design to reflect their personal style. “I love sparkles,” she says.

Jordan teamed up with designers and engineers to create an arm that could shoot glitter. A big challenge Jordan faced was how to fit the artificial limb onto her arm.

To overcome this challenge, they built a circular prosthetic with an opening in the middle that her arm fit through. Five balls attached to the prosthesis held the glitter. When Jordan yanked a cord with her right hand to blow the glitter through the foam tubes, WHOOSH—out blasted sparkles!

The kids thought up ideas for their superhero limbs. Some kids wanted limbs that could help them play sports. Others, like Jordan, wanted their design to reflect their personal style. "I love sparkles," she says.

Jordan teamed up with designers and engineers. The created an arm that could shoot glitter.

A big challenge Jordan faced was how to fit the artificial limb onto her arm. They worked to overcome the challenge. The team built a circular prosthetic with an opening in the middle. This fit her arm. Five balls attached to the prosthesis held the glitter.

Jordan could yank a cord with her right hand. WHOOSH! Out blasted sparkles from the foam tubes.

At the workshop, Jordan loved her glitter arm. “I felt really cool,” she says. But she was not completely happy with her design. She wanted to unleash a steady stream of glitter, not a short blast of sparkles.

Over the next few months, Jordan worked with Sam Hobish, a designer at Autodesk. The company makes software for 3-D printers, which use plastic to print things in three dimensions. 3-D printers help people make prosthetic limbs quickly and cheaply. 

Jordan and Hobish video-chatted to improve the arm. They mailed models of the arm back and forth. “I didn’t get frustrated,” Jordan says. “It’s problem solving.”

At the workshop, Jordan loved her glitter arm. "I felt really cool," she says. But she was not completely happy with her design. She wanted to unleash a steady stream of glitter, not a short blast of sparkles.

Over the next few months, Jordan worked with Sam Hobish. He is a designer at Autodesk. The company makes software for 3-D printers. These machines use plastic to print things in three dimensions. 3-D printers help people make prosthetic limbs quickly and cheaply.

Jordan and Hobish video-chatted to improve the arm. They mailed models of the arm back and forth. "I didn't get frustrated," Jordan says. "It's problem solving." 

The chart to the right shows the lengths of different parts of the glitter arm. The amount of 3-D printing time increases with the width and length of each part. Using just the information from the chart, which part would you assume takes the longest to print?

The chart to the right shows the lengths of different parts of the glitter arm. The amount of 3-D printing time increases with the width and length of each part. Using just the information from the chart, which part would you assume takes the longest to print?

The chart to the right shows the length of two parts of the push-up arm Jordan is creating. When designing the push-up arm, Hobish made prototypes, or models, that were 1/2 and 3/4 the actual size of the arm. How long was each part of the prototypes that Hobish made?

The chart to the right shows the length of two parts of the push-up arm Jordan is creating. When designing the push-up arm, Hobish made prototypes, or models, that were 1/2 and 3/4 the actual size of the arm. How long was each part of the prototypes that Hobish made?

The chart to the right shows printing data for the two arms that Jordan and Hobish designed. Let’s say it takes 1/4 spool of plastic to print a glitter arm and 1/3 spool to print a push-up arm. On a separate sheet of paper, describe which arm you would prefer to make for yourself, and why. You can use cost, printing time, or the number of prototypes printed to defend your answer.

The chart to the right shows printing data for the two arms that Jordan and Hobish designed. Let’s say it takes 1/4 spool of plastic to print a glitter arm and 1/3 spool to print a push-up arm. On a separate sheet of paper, describe which arm you would prefer to make for yourself, and why. You can use cost, printing time, or the number of prototypes printed to defend your answer.