“I’m the world’s oldest person to receive a bionic hand”
14th December 2023
14th December 2023
Recently, Christa Seubert from Würzburg, Germany was fitted with a bionic hand after tragically losing her arm below the elbow 11 months ago to cancer.
The 84-year-old first thought she had a blocked carpal tunnel, “I had two operations on my hand. As a result, the entire hand became inflamed. And suddenly, overnight, a lump appeared between my thumb and index finger on my right hand.” It quickly became apparent that Christa had an aggressive cancer. After chemotherapy failed, an arm amputation to save her life became unavoidable.
Christa is very active and enjoys a variety of hobbies, from cycling, gardening, handicrafts to walking her dog Charly. After the amputation, Christa struggled to get back to doing everyday activities independently, “Simple daily activities have been challenging, even cutting a loaf of bread and buttering it on my own is difficult.” commented Christa.
To be able to enjoy everyday life, Christa wanted a prosthesis that wouldn’t weigh her down. Mathias Stegemann, CPO at APT Prothesen in Würzburg, who fitted Christa commented “For Christa, being fitted with a Hero Arm has big advantages. It’s the ease of use, the very low weight compared to other prosthetic fittings, and the ease of putting on and taking off that I think will allow her to enjoy her independence.”
Within an hour of being fitted, Christa was able to use her new bionic arm to take her dog for a walk and enjoy a hot chocolate along the bank of River Main.
The Hero Arm uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions generated from specific muscle groups in the arm. These are then amplified and converted to intuitive and proportional bionic hand movements.
At Open Bionics, we are on a mission to support individuals like Christa turn their disabilities into superpowers. We use innovative technologies such as 3D printing and 3D scanning to ensure each Hero Arm is custom-built and bespoke to the user.
The Hero Arm uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions generated from specific muscle groups in the arm. These are then amplified and converted into intuitive and proportional bionic hand movements. Each Hero Arm is custom-built for optimal comfort, and fits like a glove.