A five-year-old boy who was born without a left arm has become the youngest person in the world to receive a bionic Hero Arm, which allows him to “feel like a superhero”, Irish Examiner reports.
Bristol-based Open Bionics, which has opened four clinics in America in the last year, made the 3D printed customised prosthetic.
Jordan, from Long Island, New York, became the youngest recipient of one of the company’s Hero Hands.
The prosthetic uses special sensors that recognise muscle contractions and translate them into movements of the bionic arm. Most children with Hero Arms reach the age of seven or older, but the company said Jordan’s size for his age and his high IQ – meaning he can easily learn how to use a Hero Arm – means he could get a prosthetic sooner.
The previous youngest Hero Arm user was a six-year-old from Los Angeles.
Jordan’s mother Ashley Marotta followed Open Bionics’ page on Facebook and contacted the company when they opened a clinic in New York. Health insurance paid for Hero Arm.
Marotta said she was “so grateful” to Open Bionics. She also added:
“Initially we were told he was too young and we convinced Open Bionics to see us and luckily he picked it up right away. As soon as we left with Jordan’s Hero Arm, he was running around with so much confidence trying to hail New York taxis. It was an instant confidence boost; the Hero Arm really makes him feel like a superhero.”
Jordan had only used one prosthetic hand before, but stopped using it due to lack of functionality.
Fruitful collaboration between Open Bionics and Disney
Open Bionics is a British company that supplies bionic hands and partial prosthetic hands to amputees around the world.
It describes itself as the only company in the world creating multi-articulated hands that are small and light enough for young children like Jordan.
It is also the only company in the world capable of producing bionic hands from the Marvel, Star Wars and Disney universes thanks to a long-term partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
