Nicky
Ashwell, 29, from London, can now carry out tasks with both hands for first
time with hand developed by prosthetic experts Steeper
The Guardian, Press Association, 16 June 2015
A British woman has been able to ride a bike for the first time after being fitted with what has been described as the world’s most lifelike bionic hand.
Nicky Ashwell poses for portraits at the offices of the London Prosthetic Centre, Kingston, west London. Photograph: Laura Lean/PA |
A British woman has been able to ride a bike for the first time after being fitted with what has been described as the world’s most lifelike bionic hand.
Nicky
Ashwell, 29, from London, can now carry out tasks with both hands for the first
time, but said it is the little things she can now do that surprise her the
most.
Ashwell,
who was born without a right hand, had previously used a cosmetic prosthetic that
she was not able to move.
Now she has
been fitted with an anatomically accurate new hand developed by prosthetic
experts Steeper, described by the company as a bionic breakthrough that uses
Formula One technology to deliver “unrivalled level of precision and natural
movements”.
The hand,
which weighs about the same as a bar of chocolate, has small proportions that
have been specifically designed with women and teenagers in mind and is built
around an accurate skeletal structure with miniaturised components designed to
provide the most true-to-life movements.
Ashwell is
now getting used to being able to carry out everyday activities, such as using
cutlery and opening her purse, that most people take for granted.
The product
manager at an online fashion forecasting and trend service said: “When I first
tried the bebionic small hand it was an exciting and strange feeling – it
immediately opened up so many more possibilities for me.
“I realised
that I had been making life challenging for myself when I didn’t need to.
“The
movements now come easily and look natural – I keep finding myself being
surprised by the little things, like being able to carry my purse while holding
my boyfriend’s hand.
“I’ve also
been able to do things never before possible like riding a bike and lifting
weights.”
She was
fitted with the hand at the private London Prosthetics Centre.
Ted Varley,
technical director at Steeper, said: “Looking to the future, there’s a trend of
technology getting more intricate. Steeper has embraced this and created a
smaller hand with advanced technology that is suitable for women and teenagers.
“An accurate
skeletal structure was firstly developed, with the complex technology then
specifically developed to fit within this in order to maintain anatomical
accuracy. In other myoelectric hands the technology is developed first, at the
expense of the life-likeness.”
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