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COMPUTER ARM #1198
Besides being a bit young for the job, there's something unusual about this cashier. Can you tell what it is? Michael Schuch, C.P.O., is the director of prosthetics and orthotics at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "She was born with a congenital deficiency of the left forearm and hand. That's a fairly common birth defect," he says.
In standard devices like these, electrodes transmit impulses from muscles in the person's upper arm to a tiny motor inside. But they can be difficult to use.
Michael Schuch, C.P.O., "We're able to program specifically for the patient. So we're able to fine-tune the device a little bit better than the previous ones." Special batteries make the device lighter and easier to recharge. This is Ashley's third computer-controlled arm in three years. She only removes it to recharge it or bathe. Ashley Perry, "I like it best when my arm is on!" Mike Perry is Ashley's dad. "At her stage, now, I don't think she even thinks about it -- it's just second nature. She does everything she wants to do. She does everything the other kids do, and it's like she has no disabilities whatsoever."
...To tackle the downs - and ups - ahead. Right now, Duke University is the only place these computer-controlled prosthetics are available. They cost about 20-thousand dollars each. A prosthetics manufacturer is working with Schuch to make them available nationwide in 1998. If you would like more information, please contact:
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Computers turn up in the strangest places -- which is good news for some people with special needs.
However, four-year-old Ashley has an uncommon treatment: a computer-controlled arm -- one of only 12 in use worldwide.
The new type has a programmable computer inside that adjusts those signals before relaying them.
This little girl is ready...