26-year-old man received a prosthetic arm with a phone charger, a flashlight and a drone

Photo: dailymail.co.uk

Four years ago, the life of a young Englishman James Young (James Young) changed forever. He got hit by a train, and as a result, he lost his left arm, and his left leg was seriously damaged. There were other injuries, including cracks in the skull and spine. But these problems were solved, but the young biologist lost his hands and leg parts forever.

In the hospital, Young stayed for three and a half months, after which he was discharged, providing standard prostheses. He himself describes them as "ugly." Plus, the functionality of the prosthetic arm is very limited - instead of the palm there was a hook. It was difficult to manage the prosthesis, it was necessary to use the fastening system in order to achieve at least some movement. In fact, James Young was unable to use his left hand - the prosthesis was a burden. A problem with work was added to health problems - it was difficult for him to fully immerse himself in the work process due to phantom pains. All this young man endured for three years, until, finally, life has not changed again, and for the better.


Photo: dailymail.co.uk
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James became a participant in the experiment that led to the transformation of a man into a cyborg. Young received the use of a bionic prosthetic arm. He was lucky - being an avid gamer, he saw an advertisement for Konami, a company that was looking for a volunteer to test his futuristic bionic prosthetic arm.

The development is based on a number of the latest achievements of medicine and electronic equipment. The prosthesis connects to the nerves and muscles of the shoulder, and responds to the slightest movements of the owner due to the presence of a large number of sensors attached to the shoulder of the owner. Energy prosthesis receives from the built-in battery.


Photo: dailymail.co.uk

The system developer is Sophie De Oliveira Barata. She also created the Alternative Limb Project. Interestingly, Sophie is developing special suits for the heroes of Hollywood films. She has fully developed the look and functionality of the James prosthesis, and Open Bionics has put all this into practice with a 3D printer.

The prosthesis, of course, does not replace all the functions of the arm by 100%, but is a worthy alternative, so to speak. With it, the owner without any problems takes "in hand" coins and other small things. Moreover, the prosthesis is able to do what the ordinary hand is unable to do. This is a laser backlight (just a special effect without much practical significance), a flashlight so that James can always light up his way in the dark, a USB port for charging mobile devices, a clock, and even a miniature drone. The prosthesis was made in the image and likeness of the Snake system, the character of the game Metal Gear Solid.


Photo: dailymail.co.uk

Unfortunately, there is a prosthesis and disadvantages. For example, it has to be removed in the shower, it is necessary to turn off the system before sending it to bed. The prosthesis needs maintenance work - like a regular car service. And the mass of roboruki is quite large - as much as 4.7 kilograms. But here it should be said that the prosthesis itself is a prototype - it is “run in” in order to release the final version, devoid of the shortcomings of the prototype.


Photo: dailymail.co.uk

To make wearing a prosthesis less of a problem, James plans to add titanium implants to his shoulder in order to strengthen it. He may be able to get such implants next year. Now they are available only for amputee soldiers from the UK. He also hopes to get a leg cyber prosthesis, for which he has already begun to raise funds with the help of crowdfunding. To wear such a prosthesis, titanium implants will be needed for the remnants of the left leg.

Not long ago, the BBC made a film about James, two parts of which can be viewed on YouTube:





And there is a branch of James on Reddit , where he answers the questions of interested users.

James answers questions quite actively, so try to ask him a question, it is likely that he will give a detailed and quick answer. In particular, the Briton has already said that he considers it quite possible in the future to replace the arms and legs with advanced cybernetic limbs with more functionality. In addition, he had to answer a lot of questions on Metal Gear Solid, which is not at all surprising, given the specifics of the prosthesis. Plus, James announced that his prosthesis is constantly being improved. Which is also not a surprise, since it is a working prototype of a commercial version of a robotic prosthetic arm.