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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: BRITAIN UKRAINE PROSTHETICS
HEADLINE: Bionic Arms Give Ukraine’s Wounded a Second Chance
TEASER: A British robotics company uses high-tech hardware to empower prosthesis users
PUBLISHED AT: Thursday, 03/09/2023 at 07:25 EST
BYLINE: Amy Guttman
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Bristol, England
VIDEOGRAPHER: Umberto Aguiar
VIDEO EDITOR: Jon Spier
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, MAS
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA, Open Bionics, Tilly Lockey (Instagram and YouTube)
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 3:03
VID APPROVED BY: pcd
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[A British robotics company is providing bionic prostheses to Ukrainians wounded by landmines in Russia’s war on Ukraine. It plans to provide ongoing support to soldiers and civilians with lower arm amputations. As Amy Guttman reports from Bristol, a big part of the company’s mission is to turn prostheses into superpowers.]]
((NARRATOR))
This is the lab at Open Bionics, where the Bristol-based company’s sole product, the Hero Arm, goes through rigorous testing before it’s shipped to customers.
(NATS, BLACK ROBOTIC HAND IN LAB OPENING AND CLOSING/HAND AND THUMB))
After measurements are entered into a computer-aided design program, sheets of light-weight nylon are 3D-printed into a prosthesis that fits from below the elbow.
Engineer Joel Gibbard co-founded Open Bionics in 2014 with the idea of combining 3D and bionic technologies to improve what he says are outdated medical devices.
((Joel Gibbard, Open Bionics Co-founder - MALE ENGLISH))
“The functionality of the hero arm is a multi-grip bionic hand, so the fingers can move independently. You can have different grip modes to perform different tasks. This compares to some of the more traditional hands which just open and close."
((Mandatory credit: Instagram/open bionics)) ((Instagram clip))
((Mandatory credit: Open Bionics)) (movie premier video)
((NARRATOR))
Gibbard says the hero arm is lighter and less expensive than other robotic arms, costing between $11,000 and $15,000. Another difference is the company’s push to change the perception of prostheses.
After gathering feedback early on, the team learned that they could empower customers with swappable covers in different colors and emblazoned with characters from Marvel, Disney and Star Wars.
((Joel Gibbard, Open Bionics Co-founder- MALE ENGLISH))
“We learned about the impact of having something that would help people feel confident about themselves, about their bodies interacting in public social environments.”
((Mandatory credit: Open Bionics))
((NARRATOR))
He says that’s one reason why a nonprofit group in Ukraine that helps wounded soldiers and civilians got in touch.
((Joel Gibbard, Open Bionics Co-founder- MALE ENGLISH))
“They wanted to make sure that when those people were being rehabilitated /// they would be treated as heroes. And they felt that the prosthetics they were being fitted with could have a role to play in that.”
((Mandatory credit: Instagram/tilly.lockey))
((NARRATOR))
17-year-old Tilly Lockey – who has been wearing her Hero Arm since she was 9 years old – is Open Bionics' chief ambassador.
A double amputee since childhood, she has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram where she shares stylized poses with different arm covers.
((Mandatory credit: Tilly Lockey/YouTube)) ((YouTube clip))
((NARRATOR)
She opened an exhibition last year at London’s Science Museum featuring scientific imaginative visions of the future, including Hero Arms.
((Mandatory credit: Tilly Lockey/YouTube))
((Mandatory credit: Tilly Lockey/Instagram)) ((Instagram clip))
Lockey says her Hero Arms have had a powerful impact.
((NATSOT: VOA footage of Tilly opening and closing and picking up items))
((Tilly Lockey, Open Bionics Ambassador- FEMALE ENGLISH))
“The difference has been insane. Before it was like, ‘Oh, what happened? Oh, that's so sad, but it’s great you make the most of it.’ Now, it's like ‘Wow, that's so cool, that's sick. Where do I get my own?' And I feel that that reaction is everything compared to have it used to be. It's incredible.”
((NARRATOR))
Gibbard plans to expand the Hero Arm line and hopes to make it more accessible for a wider range of budgets.
((Amy Guttman, for VOA News, Bristol, England))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 9, 2023 07:35 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
