Bionic hands: Getting to grips with living with a disability

It is a description that defines 14-year-old Tilly Lockey: she lost her hands at the age of 15 months, and now uses bionic hands to show the world how to overcome disability. That could easily read as an advertisement for a prosthetics company, but Tilly refuses to be defined by marketing messages.

She has not only embraced what is supposed to be a disability, but wants to become an ambassador to the future. That is in effect what she is achieving by pushing the boundaries of what is possible with artificial hands. It means that, eventually, she will have more capabilities built into her body than most able-bodied humans can imagine.

She collaborates closely with Open Bionics, a start-up that is using 3D printing to create lowcost prosthetics with hi-tech capabilities.

“I have very high hopes for the future,” she said during a chat on the sidelines of the SingularityU Summit at Kyalami. From Newcastle-on-Tyne in the United Kingdom, she was at the summit as a guest speaker, chaperoned by her father Adam and sister Tia.

“When I started working with Open Bionics, I wanted it to include lighting, music, Bluetooth, a projector in my palm, all over-optimistic things. But then I feel that is not too far away, and then a disability would turn into an enhancement of normal human hands. I’m really excited about it. I know there’s a couple of things they are working on right now, like trying to get the built-in battery thinner, because it’s hard to get overcoats and jackets over it, so they are trying to get the hands slimmer.

“They’re working on haptic feedback, to give a sense of touch of vibration, which tells me of I have a good grip on something. These hands I’m using now were made in the past five years. In another five years, I think we’ll have all of it.”

The hands in question are called Hero Arms, which its creators, Open Bionics, say is “the world’s first clinically approved 3D-printed bionic arm, with multi-grip functionality and empowering aesthetics”. Developed in Bristol in the UK, the Hero Arm is a “lightweight and affordable myoelectric prosthesis”, available for below-elbow amputee adults and children aged eight and above. Functionality includes grabbing, pinching, high-fives, fist bumps and a thumbs-up – a function Tilly uses constantly to underline her optimistic worldview.

As Open Bionics puts it, “Welcome to the future, where disabilities are superpowers.” And this, says Tilly, is just the beginning. “If this is what they have developed in five years, if you think forward a decade, it will be absolutely insane. Only a decade ago I was wearing literally just a loop, and 10 years later I have 3D-printed Hero Arms.

“Ten years down the line I think I’ll have jetpacks. I can’t wait for people to walk around with bionics because it is an enhancement and looks cool. That is definitely going to be the future.”

Surprisingly, in a world where teenagers are typecast as demanding instant gratification, she is not impatient for this future.

“It’s really fun building up to future, talking about what we can do, and where we can start now. We’re already in talks about different models. I have some with lights in; it is available. All these little changes are going to keep building up until they are better than human arms. I’m excited for that but not impatient, because I’m working on what we are doing now.”

She is no passive consumer of the technology either.

“Open Bionics really believe in co-design. They can build it but can’t test it. So it’s up to users to give honest feedback. One thing I did invent that I’m proud of that I use on a daily basis is the freeze mode. If I’m holding something tight, because its muscle-operated, it could trigger a false sense, like shivering, and if you’re holding a glass bowl, it smashes. So we said is there any way we could get the hand stuck and not change.

“Now how it works is when you’re squeezing something, you hold a button down, it beeps and turns blue, then no matter what you do with your muscles, the fingers don’t open until you press the button again. It gives amputees and users of Hero Arms extra control, so it’s a practical invention.”

Tilly is deeply inspired by the movie Battle Angel Alita, which combines live actors with a computer0generated cyborg heroine. Alita is continually augmented as she learns her powers, but it is her sheer determination that wins the day.

“The movie was advertised on my school bus and whenever I saw it, I said, aha, there’s me, even before I knew I was getting Hero Arms. She is such an amazing character, very strong-minded. I’m always proving to myself I’m a very determined person. I have been ever since I was three or four. I remember being in a room with my mam, and I thought because I had no hands, I couldn’t open the door myself. I asked my mam, and she told me no, I could do it by myself, all I have to do is try. So I opened door, and she says she could never forget the look on my face. I realised I could sit back, or take charge and do things for myself.”

The pros

The New Nintendo 2DS XL is the last model of the 3DS family released by Nintendo. The system is a little powerhouse with everything that made the DS and 3DS systems great. A clamshell design, check. Two screens, check. Stylus, check. 3D display – nope (but who needs the battery-draining function anyway?). For the most part, if you buy a New Nintendo 2DS XL it will likely be bundled with Pokémon Ultra Moon. At around R2 300 it’s a great deal. Last year when I bought mine I shelled out R2 400 for the system and Ultra Moon as well as an anniversary edition of Pokémon Gold. As a stand alone Pokémon Ultra Moon can cost between R500 and R800. So the fact that the system is cost-effective can’t be disputed.

The cons

It’s outdated no matter how you look at the system. While the New 2DS XL’s plastic-y design can be forgiven, you cannot forget that the hard outside is only the cover for a very meh inside. While games run smoothly they’re not as crisp. But the question is, does it matter? For casual gamers it actually shouldn’t. I’m still very happy to whip out my stem while waiting for the Gautrain or a ReaVaya, or over the weekend. The amount of games I can pick up cheaply from Cash Converters and Gumtree or from stores is insurance that I will be playing on the system for a while still. If you’re buying a console from the Nintendo 3DS family for casual gaming, it’s absolutely still worth it.

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