A Bristol company that makes bionic ‘hero arms’ for amputees is transforming the lives of people across the globe with its invention.
Open Bionics, which is based on All Saints’ Street, recently teamed up with Disney to design film-themed arms for users.
The company has designed Star Wars BB-8, Marvel’s Iron Man and Frozen bionic covers for its arms, which are custom-made using 3D-printing and 3D-scanning techniques.
An 11-year-old Star Wars fan in the US is among those to have received one of Open Bionic’s new designs.
Florida-based Bella Tadlock raised nearly $14,000 (£11,000) for her R2-D2 arm with the help of actor Mark Hamill who plays Luke Skywalker in the films.
Mark, who had a bionic hand in his role in Star Wars, retweeted Bella’s appeal to his 3.6 million followers last year and spoke to her on the phone after she received the arm.
He said: “That is great – that is so fantastic. I’m so happy that you were able to have this happen for you.”
Bella, who was born without fingers on her right hand and whose left arm is shorter than her right, is the first person in the US to receive a hero arm based on the Star Wars droid R2-D2.
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The little girl has undergone a number of operations during her life and although she now has three fingers and a thumb on her right hand decided against surgical options for her left one.
“I now have two hands – I am so excited,” she said. “I will be able to ride my bike, create in the kitchen and be like my friends.
“To be able to bend my fingers and pick things up is a dream come true.”
'This is completely life-changing'
Bella’s mother Pamela Tadlock said: “This is completely life-changing. Since Isabella was adopted at a few weeks old she has overcome huge obstacles and endured many surgeries.
“Now she has a hand, with no surgery and no pain. I’m so grateful to Open Bionics and Hanger Clinic. Bella likes Luke Skywalker because he lost a hand and was adopted like her.”
Open Bionics co-founder Samantha Payne added: “We’re delighted that Bella loves her new R2-D2 arm and it’s fantastic that Mark Hamill, who is a role model to limb-different children worldwide, is so proactive in letting these kids know that they have the admiration and support of one of the galaxy’s biggest heroes.”
The news comes just weeks after a 海角视频 military veteran who lost part of his arm in Afghanistan became the first person to receive a 3D-printed arm on the NHS.
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Darren “Daz” Fuller lost the lower part of his right arm in 2008 during an incident with mortar ammunition.
The new multi-grip arm was funded through the NHS Veterans’ Prosthetics Panel.
Mr Fuller said: “To be the first veteran to get [a hero arm] is fantastic, but it leads on to me being hopefully the first of many. The first few weeks have been a voyage of discovery.”
The Hero Arm is currently only available to people through private clinics in the 海角视频, US and Europe.
But Open Bionics is working with the NHS on a clinical trial which could see the health organisation offering the limbs more widely.