Bronx Physicist Receives First Open Bionics Hero FLEX Prosthetic Arm

Praveen Gowtham, a 43-year-old physicist in the Bronx, became the first person fitted with Open Bionics’ Hero FLEX robot arm last month. The device is the first above-elbow socket produced by the UK-founded company. Gowtham lost his right arm below the elbow at eight days old after a birth defect cut off blood supply and doctors amputated the limb to prevent gangrene.

He had previously avoided prosthetics because earlier models were heavy and non-breathable. Within one hour of receiving the Hero FLEX, Gowtham held his dog’s leash and opened drink containers without assistance. He said the arm allows him to “hold a bottle and then torque it the other way,” adding that the change is already noticeable.

The Hero FLEX weighs four pounds, compared with nine pounds for a prior prosthetic Gowtham used. It employs wireless MyoPods that detect muscle pressure, tension and joint speed, then translate those signals via Bluetooth into finger motions. Each socket is 3D-scanned and printed to match the wearer’s anatomy.

The arm supports multiple grip patterns and can accept attachments such as gardening tools or a bridge for playing pool. Gowtham increased prosthetic wear time from at most 30 minutes per day to nearly full-time. ” The arm can perform a gesture giving someone the finger.

Gowtham said the Hero FLEX is used more for coding than laboratory tasks, though it also helps with soldering, lifting boxes and kitchen work. Open Bionics produces Star Wars and superhero-themed covers for the arm. Gowtham said society has not yet reached the point where users would consider upgrading to a “cyborg hand,” but added that attitudes are shifting in that direction.

Gowtham originally lived in Morningside Heights near Columbia University. He performs experimental physics work that includes soldering components under a millimeter in length and repairing ultra-high vacuum equipment. A UK man received the first 3D-printed eyeball in 2021, illustrating the expanding use of the technology in medicine.