Mercedes sponsors bionic hand for F1 fan

Matthew James is like any other hot blooded 14-year old who loves fast cars, and is a huge fan of Formula 1 – save for the fact that he was born without a left hand. Well, the human spirit of ingenuity knows no bounds, and Matthew decidedly sent a rather cheeky letter to Ross Brawn, boss of F1 team Mercedes GP Petronas, where he requested for £35,000 in order to purchase a top-of-the line artificial limb. Now Brawn did not get to where he is at the moment by playing the fool, but mentioned that he would sponsor the hand as long as Matthew allowed the hand to show off the Mercedes logo on it, similar to how F1 cars carry ads.

Mercedes is not a corporation without a heart, where they were touched by Matthew’s ”intelligent and moving letter” that they actually agreed to assist him in the matter, teaming up with the firm Touch Bionics who specializes in the development of hi-tech artificial limbs.

The customized i-LIMB Pulse, being one of the most advanced prosthetic limbs in the world, is extremely versatile that Matthew can now grip a pen to draw images as well as write, heck, even tie his shoe laces and play catch in the backyard. Made out of high-grade plastic, this prosthetic limb ships with a black silicone socket and will plug itself into Matthew’s arm. How does it work? The i-LIMB sports a couple of electrodes inside the socket that will detect electrical impulses made by the muscles in Matthew’s lower arm, translating them into action.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets, Medical
Tags: f1, mercedes