11-Year-Old English Amputee Receives R2-D2-Inspired Bionic Arm

An 11-year-old Star Wars fan received a specially customised prosthetic arm recently with help from UK-based robotics company Open Bionics. Footage released by Open Bionics on January 17 shows quadruple amputee Kye Vincent from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire testing out the new, R2-D2-inspired bionic arm. Kye contracted meningococcal septicaemia C when he was eight years old. While doctors managed to save his life, they had to amputate his lower legs, right hand and part of his left hand. “Kye said he wanted to be a bionic boy, so we started fundraising,” his mother, Cheryl Vincent, said in a press release. “Seeing Kye with a hand again was very, very emotional. I was full of pride, I could burst. I was so happy for him. From a very young age, he’s always loved Star Wars. And to have it on a prosthetic arm, it shows what he’s into.” According to Open Bionics, the R2-D2 covers for their ‘Hero Arm’ — the world’s first 3D-printed multi-grip bionic arm for children and adults with upper limb differences — will be available to all young users starting March 1. Credit: Open Bionics via Storyful

from National | Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/30swjMQ