For over four years 343 Industries has been proud to partner with Limbitless Solutions to bring the hope and wonder of the Halo franchise to children with limb differences. Limbitless Solutions is a nonprofit organization based at the University of Central Florida (UCF) which creates bespoke 3D-printed prosthetics for children experiencing limb loss, often in the style of characters from major entertainment franchises. Limbitless Solutions then works with their recipients — known as “bionic kids” — to train them how to use their new prosthetic, leveraging a variety of methods including instructional video games developed in partnership with UCF’s School of Visual Arts and Design and Games and Interactive Media. This approach to training allows Limbitless’ bionic kids to enjoy learning how to use their new device and helps guarantee that their personal-made bionic limb and sleeve function in a manner tailored specifically to them. Leaning into their guiding principles as a nonprofit organization, Limbitless also ensures their prosthetics are given to their bionic kids at no cost through a combination of fundraising and brand awareness.
Driven by the studio’s own values of innovation and giving back, 343 Industries has been working with Limbitless Solutions since 2018 to provide new Halo-themed designs for their prosthetics. 343 has provided sleeve designs modeled on the armor of in-game heroes like the Master Chief and the Arbiter which are made available to young people who – like the characters the designs are based on – routinely face the odds and emerge triumphant.
As a result of this continued partnership, 343 Industries is happy to announce an expansion of the Halo-inspired line of interchangeable sleeves provided by Limbitless Solution. Two new sleeves are being added to the repertoire: one based off the new armor of the Master Chief displayed in Halo Infinite, and the other based off the armor of Halo: Reach Spartan Catherine-B320, also known as “Kat”. In a desire to keep a strong connection between the sleeve recipient and their chosen character, Limbitless also worked with teams at 343 and Microsoft to develop a new satin matte green color to match the characters’ design more authentically.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership and to bring these new designs to life”, said Albert Manero co-founder of Limbitless Solutions. Our team cannot wait for children to proudly show these new bionic designs to their friends in their classrooms or on the playground.”
The Kat sleeve in particular represents a special connection between the Halo universe and the Limbitless mission, as Kat was one of the first major characters in-universe to use a prosthetic limb. Kat is also representative of the Halo universe’s ability to provide examples of courage and tenacity across many different life experiences, and to allow fans of Halo a personal connection to the narrative regardless of their own circumstances. 343 Industries’ partnership with Limbitless to create the Kat sleeve is a new step in the service of that aspect of the Halo franchise. In the words of 343 Industries Studio Quality-of-Life PM Ron Brown, “It’s really nice to know that people can have this part of their identity and the things that they love be a very physical, very real part of them.”
Attendees of the Halo World Championship in Seattle (October 20th – 23rd) will learn more about the collaboration between 343 Industries and Limbitless Solutions and see models of the new designs. Staff from Limbitless Solutions will be at the event demonstrating the technology that controls the prosthetics via a training video game that utilizes the prosthetic’s sensors, and the team will share about their organization and mission. Halo content creators will also be streaming onsite to their audiences and encouraging them to support Limbitless Solutions’ mission by donating to the UCF foundation via their Tiltify page.
To learn more about Limbitless Solutions and unleash the full potential of the Bionic Kid, visit Limbitless-Solutions.org
