Though Spider-Man fans may soon be seeing Doctor Octopus on the big screen once again, it could not be much longer before they are seeing him in real life as well. A new project sees the Spider-Man villain’s prosthetics being used for a practical cause, and it may not be a one-off occurrence.
For those unfamiliar with the character of Doctor Octopus, the villain is a tragic one, boasting a neurological disease that will eventually see him losing motor functions. Building four mechanical, tentacle-like arms to help with this issue, a neural implant sees Doctor Octopus controlling the arms with his mind. Though this eventually leads to him being corrupt, the real-life suit does not have the same defect — and the process of controlling it is a bit simpler than an implant in the brain.
The Doctor Octopus suit was shown off in a recent video from Mashable Deals, and it sees the most prominent feature of the iconic Spider-Man villain used for good. A 3D-printed prototype of the arms was given to an 11-year-old boy with hypermobility, a disability that sees people being overly flexible. While hypermobility can be advantageous for athletes, it can also be harmful, as the disability can lead to joint pain for those affected. Fortunately, the boy with the suit has been given a few extra arms to help him out.
Keeping the same appearance and structure as the tentacles worn by Spider-Man’s nemesis, the special suit is controlled with a series of four buttons on the boy’s hand. When he moves his arm, the robotic arms move with him, and the special buttons can be used to open and close each of the claws. A series of motors allows each arm to pick up lightweight objects, something that the boy should find incredibly useful when he gets the hang of the suit. The design is truly spectacular, and it is worth seeing in action for any fans of the Marvel character it was inspired by.
With gaming-related prosthetics becoming increasingly popular, it makes sense that creative inventors would look to comic books for inspiration as well. The design idea comes from teenage millionaire Erik Finman, and Finman seems determined to keep working on the design beyond this special gift. While the one given to the boy is currently only a prototype, Finman plans on introducing more streamlined and effective models to the general public sometime in the future, though no details as to when they could be coming have been shared.
With Finman making his massive fortune from Bitcoin, it is great to see that the young inventor is putting that money to good use. If Finman keeps it up, perhaps people will one day be seen riding around town on Green Goblin’s glider.
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