Case 004 · May 2025
Mi.
Nevada, USA
Almost 14, 5'10", born without his right arm below the elbow. Calls it his "nub." Wants to be a biomedical engineer. A tattoo artist painted the arm.
Nevada, USA
Almost 14, 5'10", born without his right arm below the elbow. Calls it his "nub." Wants to be a biomedical engineer. A tattoo artist painted the arm.
Mi.'s case came in through e-NABLE in April 2025. He was almost 14 and, at 5'10", one of the largest recipients I'd built for. Born without his right arm below the elbow, he'd been living with and adapting to his limb difference his whole life. He calls it his "nub." He uses it to hold things, to brace, to push. He's not waiting for a prosthetic to start living, he's been living.
His case description said he's fun-loving with a huge sense of humor. That he loves science, comics, world-building. That he wants to become a biomedical engineer. His mom submitted the case and handled every message with the same warmth, when she found out I ship for free, she kept trying to find ways to help anyway.
The original preference was comic book colours. I built it in cream and blue, the Kinetic Arm at 77.5%, the largest scale I'd produced. PLA+ for strength, TPU 85A for the grip pads. All pieces were off the printer by May 19, assembled by June 2.
Mi.'s mom sent measurement photos from outside their home, his residual limb held against a pink ruler against their garage door, in the bright Nevada sun. Three measurements: 7¾ inches hand length, 3¼ inches elbow width, 3½ inches residual limb length. Straightforward. I started printing the same day the numbers came through.
At 77.5%, this was the biggest Kinetic Arm I'd built. Every component printed larger, more surface area, heavier tensioner loads, wider socket geometry. The interior shows the full mechanical system: five individual tensioner cords, one per finger, each routed through the forearm and anchored to an adjustable tensioner block. When Mi. bends his wrist, his fingers close. The back panel carries a hand symbol, a quiet mark of what the arm is for.
The finished arm went into the box on June 3. Clean cream PLA+, blue TPU grip pads at each fingertip and palm, black cord lacing the joints. Thumb up. I sent photos to the family the same day. His mom replied: "His arm looks so awesome!!"
The arm was delivered June 9, the family's week-on week-off custody schedule meant it arrived on a day Mi. was headed to his dad's. His mom messaged from the car: "My kids spend week on week off and we're on our way to his dad's right now to open it. He doesn't know it's here. I'll send you the videos and pictures of him!"
He opened it at his dad's house. Photos from outside, in the Nevada evening light, red shirt, big grin, holding the arm up for the camera. His doctor's response, a week later at a follow-up appointment: she was at a loss for words. Just kept saying "wow, amazing."
He started physical therapy shortly after, building wrist strength and technique. Within days, he was gripping things.
The photos that came back a few days later showed Mi. on the couch, arm on, and in one of them, he's holding a soccer ball with it. That's the shot. A teenager born without a hand, gripping a ball with a device that didn't exist a month earlier. He was getting real good at using it, his mom said. He loves it.
By June 18: "He's getting real good at using it. He loves it! Went to his doctor today, she was at a loss for words. Just kept saying wow amazing. He's going to physical therapy soon."
By late summer, Mi.'s mom had taken the arm to her tattoo artist friend to be airbrushed. The result, a full mechanical skeleton design, painted directly onto the cream PLA+, turned a prosthetic into something else entirely. The tattoo artist's verdict on the build quality: "The material is really sturdy and durable. Said to only have you make arms in the future for Mi."
He wears it every day at school. Takes it off maybe once or twice during the day. They also sewed him a custom under-arm sleeve from an Under Armour shirt to manage sweat in the Nevada heat. Everyone at school thinks he's the coolest kid around.
"He wears it all the time to school. Everyone at school thinks he's the coolest kid around, we already thought so. My tattoo artist said the material is really sturdy and durable. Said to only have you make arms in the future for Mi. I hope you never stop making limbs for people. You do amazing work and it's really appreciated that people like you are out there."
, Mi.'s mom, Nevada · August 2025