Burbank - Walt Disney is making popular designs from “Star Wars,” “Frozen” and “Iron Man” available for free for use on low-cost prosthetic hands for children.
Open Bionics, a 3-D printing company that plans to make low-cost robotic hands for amputees, researchers and hobbyists, will get royalty-free use of designs like Frozen snowflakes and Iron Man’s glove, Joel Gibbard, the company’s chief executive, said Wednesday at a Disney event in Burbank, California.
The company was one of 10 chosen to participate in the Disney Accelerator program, a three-month investment and mentoring program. Those selected receive as much as $120 000 to develop their ideas, along with assistance from top executives at the world’s largest entertainment company.
Open Bionics estimates there as many as 11 million people worldwide who have lost a limb. Some have prosthetic hooks, a few have expensive robotics and many have nothing, according to the company’s website.
With 3-D printing technology, Open Bionics estimates it can produce a robotic hand for $3 000, compared with the current $100 000 price, according to Gibbard.
Last year’s class from Disney Accelerator produced a hit toy: the BB-8 ball-shaped robot droid. The $150 robot from Sphero, based in Boulder, Colorado, went on sale last month.
Kevin Mayer, Disney’s chief strategy officer, said hundreds of companies applied to participate in the Disney Accelerator program this year.
Business ties
Los Angeles-based MakieLab, which uses 3-D printing to make customized dolls, also scored some rights to Disney characters.
Those chosen shared an office at a Disney facility, participating in movie nights and pizza parties.
They get to develop a business relationship with company that has $49 billion in annual revenue. Miami-based Hyp3r, one of the companies chosen, is helping Disney’s Parks division monitor social media by customer comments at its resorts, allowing the company to respond in real-time.
BLOOMBERG