ECE Student Builds Prosthetic Arm

Photos by Chris Richards, Alumni Association, The University of Arizona.

Collin Preszler, a double major in ECE and biomedical engineering, recently developed a pediatric neuroprosthetic arm with fellow biomedical engineering student Nisha Rajakrishna. The pair based the arm on a design provided by the University of Michigan. The students, who are also juniors at the W.A. Franke Honors College, spent the first part of spring 2021 assembling a Bill of Materials and applying for one of the development awards offered by the honors college. With the money awarded, they ordered parts and started working on their first prototype. It was an enduring, complex process.

"Once we received the award, we could order parts and start to organize a space to assemble the first prototype of our neuroprosthetic arm," Preszler said. "We managed to coordinate some time in the new Salter Medical Device Design Lab with Professor Urs Utzinger, and began to print the fingers, palm, and casings for the motors and control systems."

"I think the University of Arizona already has many resources to support its students," Rajakrishna said. "That combined with being a Franke Honors College student at UA gives students endless opportunities to pursue their passions and enrich themselves."