A specific British teenager that was born with only one hand is now learning how to ride a bike after being fitted with the very first medically-certified 3D-printed bionic hand! The 14-year-old Aimee Ashton is a talented art student from Hull and was born without a left hand.
Aimee had been previously using prosthetic arms but then stopped because they did not do anything and were not responsive to movement. Things started to change when she was finally fitted with the "Hero Arm" that was developed by a certain Bristol-based company known as Open Bionics, which is estimated to cost around $12,000 USD.
How the arm works
This battery-powered arm works by picking up different signals from muscles allowing the user the ability of doing certain tasks with both hands. The arm is also said to be quickly removed and also features a 'breathable socket' for the purpose of ventilation and can even hold a position in 'freeze mode' for certain functions like holding a glass.
The arms are actually customizable for each and every user and can also be themed after their favorite cartoon character like Ironman or even BB8 from Star Wars. Aimee is an aspiring teacher and being fitted with this specific arm means that she can bake, ride a bike, and even start learning how to drive when she turns 17!
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At five years old, Aimee had another limb made for her on the NHS, but it still was not responsive enough. Just last year, Aimee started to research about prosthetics that may even help her to draw and this is when she came upon Open Bionics, which apparently sells the Hero Arm for about $10,000 to almost $14,000 USD.
After being able to receive funding help from Open Bionics' own charitable trust, Aimee was then fitted with her new arm some time before Christmas and is now finally getting used to it. She is now learning how to cycle ten years after first watching her friends from school on their bikes.
Aimee's mother Samantha
Aimee's mother named Samantha remembers her daughter being determined to take part in a certain skipping race on sport's day back during primary school even though she was unable to hold the rope. Aimee still hopes to become an art teacher once she leaves school, but she has admitted that one hand has always made it a little bit more difficult to draw.
Smantha actually believes that her daughter would have possibly been left-handed if it was not for her current physical impairment. At least now, she can do her artwork with both of her working hands and is currently drawing up impressive sketches with her new Hero Arm.
The Hero Arm has already transformed Aimee's life and could also potentially transform the lives of other people as well. Technology can really do a lot if put into good use.
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