Whether you are an acquired arm amputee or congenital, you may have adapted to every day life without the need for a prosthesis. The usual prostheses options are heavy, cumbersome and leave much to be desired from functionality. This is why myoelectric prosthetic arms are revolutionising the game. Here are the core features of a myoelectric hand, and how you can go about trying one for free.
A myoelectric-controlled prostheses give users a higher level of control, and with the right training, a myoelectric prosthesis can replicate motions of a human hand. The Hero Arm is run by myoelectric technology that offers patients up to six different grip modes for hand and finger movements.
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.
With proportional control, you decide the speed of finger movements to give you the ability to undertake even the most delicate tasks like picking up an egg with your prosthetic arm.
A qualified prosthetist will have to assess your limb presentation (don’t worry it’s not invasive) to be able to locate two muscle groups so the myoelectric sensors can read your muscle movements and convert them into bionic hand motions. Once your muscle sites are detected, you should have the ability to try move a bionic hand just with the sensors pressing against your muscles.
The Hero Arm will have sensors built in, so when you put it on and turn it on, it will be able to translate muscle movements into hand motions, giving you full control of pressure, strength and speed of your bionic arm.
This is an external energy source, which means your my electric arm will need a re-charge at the end of the day.
Myoelectric or bionic technology is still in it’s infancy, and because it’s bespoke to each individual, it can get quite costly.We are on a mission to make this technology accessible across the world. Through the use of 3D printing and scanning we have been able to streamline manufacturing and operational processes and have passed savings back to customers. While our technology is three times cheaper than any other myoelectric arm, it can still cost up to $30,000.
To support individuals struggling to raise funds to cover costs of getting a Hero Arm, we have set up a funding support team to help you apply for charitable grants, crowdfund, or gather information you may need for your health insurance application form. Simply register to find out more.
The Hero Arm is available for below-elbow amputees from the ages of eight years old. Each Hero Arm is engineered especially for you. When you register your interest you will be required to do a quick assessment (digital or over the phone) to ensure you will qualify for the Hero Arm. Once we have the assessment out the way, we can talk about funding and getting you booked in to try a Hero Arm!
The Hero Arm is currently available across 800 locations in the US, in the UK, Australia and a few countries in Europe.