MATTHEW JAMES, 14, was born without a left hand.
Intent on replacing his current prosthetic limb, one he described as “not great,” with a top-of-the-range model, the student sent a letter to Ross Brawn, the director of Formula 1 team Mercedes GP Petronas, asking for the £35,000 necessary to make the purchase.
In return for their initial investment, James suggested, Mercedes would– in a manner reminiscent of F1 sponsorship– be free to secure advertising space on the new prosthetic.
According to an article in today’s Telegraph, the Formula 1 outfit were impressed by James’ “intelligent and moving letter” and arranged to have him fitted with his very own, customised i-Limb Pulse, the most advanced prosthetic limb on the market.
The new hand is nothing short of a technological marvel:
“The hand, made from high-grade plastic with a black silicone socket, literally plugs into Matthew’s arm.Two electrodes on the inside of the socket detect electrical impulses made by the muscles in Matthew’s lower arm.
The signals are then beamed to a mini-computer in the palm which translates the messages into movements, replicating a normal hand.”
Rather than fund the fitting themselves, Mercedes solicited fans and sponsors on the teenagers behalf, eventually raising enough money to purchase the hand and cover the similarly costly training process.
Brawn, who is an alumnus of James’s secondary school, stressed the “particular personal significance” of the case and his involvement in it:
“Looking closely at the i-LIMB Pulse, we realised how much our technologies in Formula One had in common with those used to create this cutting-edge prosthetic limb…”Meeting Matthew, and hearing first-hand how the new device would improve his quality of life, was a pleasure and I am delighted that our initial contact has now led to such a positive conclusion.”
The team director’s unfortunate choice of words aside, the story appears to have reached a satisfying conclusion.
