A 29-year-old man from Reading, United Kingdom, is the first recipient of the new Metal Gear Solid "Venom Snake" design of the bionic arm made by the gaming giant KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT Inc. and the award-winning prosthetics Open Bionic.
Daniel Melville's bionic arm is designed for below-elbow amputees with striking similarities with the world's most affordable bionic arm, which is Open Bionics' Hero Arm.
When interviewed, Melville said that it was everything he ever wanted from a bionic arm as he too is an avid gamer and loves Metal Gear Solid. He added that he still can't believe in having the real version of Snake's arm, Venture Beats reported.
The inspiration behind the bionic arm's design
Open Bionics created an artificial arm inspired by the character of Adam Jensen in the science fiction game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It is a game that envisions a future of people augmented with robotic body parts, such as powerful bionic limbs.
Adam Jensen, the game's main character, helps eradicate the conspiracy regarding the augmented humans, which are called "augs" who are discriminated by the naturals or non-augment humans.
On the other hand, Venom Snake is the protagonist in the video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, released in 2015. Venom Snake's arm was damaged in an explosion, so he had to wear the iconic red and black bionic arm that comes with missiles and various gadgets to stun the enemies.
Of course, Hero Arm does not have all those weapons, but it is still very impressive because its unique design has already changed many lives of upper limb amputees, whether you or old; its youngest ever was an eight-year-old.
Open Bionics use 3D printing and 3D scanning technology, along with other amazing software and design to make a customized Hero Arm that can be accessorized with magnetic clip-on covers, such as the Metal Gear Solid cover that Melville is using.
Samantha Payne, COO, and Co-founder of Open Bionics, said that Venom Snake's arm had been one of the most requested covers for bionic arm since Open Bionics started its operations six years ago. The company is delighted to have made this requested into reality and grateful for KONAMI for collaborating with them.
The one-hand gamer
A few years ago, Melville became the ambassador for Open Bionics. He qualified as an aug and was given an artificial limb. But that was more like a prop as he cannot control or manipulate it to move. But it is different this year.
Melville now has the real deal, which he can control and manipulate. As a one-hand gamer, he said that his new bionic arm is what he has been reading all his life. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has described this new milestone as "living in the science fiction."
"This is unbelievable. It's everything I've ever wanted from a bionic arm," Melville said. "I'm an avid gamer and love Metal Gear Solid so much, and to actually have Snake's arm in real life is just insane."
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