Meet Bionic Farmer Conor from Kansas
25th October 2023
25th October 2023
Nine months after an accident on the family farm, Kansas farmer Conor has now received a bionic Hero Arm and is putting it to use.
A young farmer from Northwest Kansas who tragically lost his arm in a farming accident, has just received an advanced multi-grip bionic arm.
The 27-year old lost his arm while working on farming equipment that happened to turn on while his arm was in the way. After unsuccessful attempts to reattach the arm, Conor was discharged home five days before Christmas having to rediscover life as an amputee.
Commenting on his recovery journey Conor said “Not being able to pick up my daughter after being in hospital because doctors set a weight restriction was really tough”.
The father-of-two, whose wife Melanie Cox was 22-weeks pregnant at the time of the accident, went back to work on the farm six weeks after his amputation, but noticed how restrictive everyday activities were with one arm, “Simple activities like mowing the lawn, feeding the cows or helping out around the house were really difficult which was very frustrating.”
To help Conor regain independence, his wife Melanie found Open Bionics after multiple insurance denials for a multi-grip prosthesis. Through crowdfunding, in just a matter of months, Conor raised the funds needed to get a Hero Arm.
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The sensation of having a hand at the end of my forearm was incredible. After I got fitted I could have sat there all day just moving my bionic fingers and hand.
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After his Hero Arm delivery with an Upper Limb Prosthetist at an Open Bionics clinic in Denver, Conor transitioned from living with no arm, to being able to eat independently, carry more weight, hold items with both hands, and do more chores.
Conor reflected on what it was like to regain functionality in both arms, ”The sensation of having a hand at the end of my forearm was incredible. After I got fitted I could have sat there all day just moving my bionic fingers and hand.”
Conor’s Hero Arm was built custom to his limb shape and matching his individual requirements and design preferences. Unlike Conor’s previous prostheses, which were body-powered and heavy, leaving him feeling very lethargic, Conor’s Hero Arm uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions generated from specific muscle groups in his arm. These are then amplified and converted into intuitive and proportional bionic hand movements.
Conor’s Hero Arm uses myoelectric sensors which detect underlying muscular contractions generated from specific muscle groups in his arm.
Samantha Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics commented on Conor’s experience: “Please watch Conor’s TikTok channel. He makes all of us laugh everyday with his good humour and approach to family and farm life. He is our favourite Robo Farmer and we’re now all addicted to FarmTok.
It’s a huge bonus to see the different ways Conor is using his Hero Arm to work on the farm and around the home, so thanks to Conor for sharing his journey with us. We also help individuals like Conor find funding for bionic arms, if you need help finding funding for your Hero Arm, please get in touch!”
Open Bionics is on a mission to support individuals like Conor turn their disabilities into superpowers. The company uses innovative technologies such as 3D printing and 3D scanning to ensure each Hero Arm is custom-built and custom to each user.
