IamA Amputee girl with "bionic arm" and bow from front page AMA!

http://i.imgur.com/o4BMpW5.jpg

I love it! I wish I looked that bad ass. http://imgur.com/PHJOEgz

Have you ever given anyone a bionic bitch slap?

Yes. Many people.

I need to teach my children the lesson of always leaving a note. Do you think you can help me?

I hear teach my kids a lesson and think of arrested development. Is that where this is going?

OP from the photo thread said you used to chase the school boys that made fun of you and try to beat them up with your fake arm. Is that true? If so - hilarious. :)

Haha, very true! They deserved it! I also use to hit my brother when he made me mad ... but eventually I stopped because he learned to catch it midswing and hit me back. No one wants to be hit with their own arm.

Puts a whole new spin on "stop hitting yourself".

It's like you were there.

When the inevitable war between man and machine happens. Which side will you choose?

I'm not deciding my allegiances too early.

What level of articulation and control do you have over your left hand with your current prosthetic and what future developments in prosthetics are you looking forward to?

The 2 arms I currently use are the iLimb Pulse and a cosmetic prosthesis. I do not own the DEKA arm, I'm just testing it. The iLimb pulse has several "grips" or hand positions I can cycle through. It is much more useful than my cosmetic but it's big bulky and heavy. Although, the DEKA arm is very large and I'd wear it every day if I could because of how many more things it is capable of. My favorite being the flexion and extension of the wrist which no other prosthetic has. I want a megaman arm ... and one that looks like ones from terminator or iRobot. I'm really looking forward to the current studies on nerve controlled prosthetics.

Is the power supply in the prosthetic, or is there like an external battery pack?

The DEKA arm has an external battery pack currently but they are hoping to remedy that before it is put on the market.

• How much do advanced prosthetics such as the DEKA one cost?
• About the nerve controlled prosthetics - would you do it if there were a chance for temporary/permanent damage? For example, if the nerve endings rejected the artificial connection and you had to lose more of your real limb. I don't know much about neuroprosthetics, I just imagine that as a new science it is more risky than established ones.
• Does it bother you if people stare or ask questions (i.e. when you're out in pubic)?

The DEKA is the omst expensive I've heard of being ~$400,000 but the high end ones on the market currently are around $75-100,000. The lower end ones are around $25,000.

Yeah, the nerve control stuff is scary and your thoughts are correct. I wouldn't be willing to test that kind of stuff for those exact reasons. But, i'm excited all the same.

Eh, usually no. I'm 24 years old, I've dealt with it my hole life. But occasionally i'll be having a bad a day and a stupid comment someone makes will annoy me for a second. The most upsetting thing for me is kids can be scared of me. The thing I hate is when kid asks what's wrong with my arm and the parent freaks out on them telling them to be quite and all this stuff but what they just did was make my arm a "weird" or "bad" thing for their kid. If the parent just reacted calmly and said "some people are different and that's okay" I feel like we'd have a lot less assholes in this world.

Do you ever wear the baby arm around to mess with people now that you're an adult?

haha I might if I could. The socket is way too small for me to fit my arm in now.

Well you don't seem like the type of person who would let something like that hold you back. I have some modeling clay you can borrow.

You're right. I might just go for good old fashioned duct tape.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73360

I feel like that looks pretty accurate,

How does the bionic arm work? I.E. how do you control it?

The arm I'm wearing in the photo with the bow has 2 electrodes (sensors) that are placed inside the socket of the prosthesis. They sit against my skin and when I flex different muscles, the arm opens and closes. The DEKA arm currently also has feet IMU's (Inertial measurement units) which can tell when I hold my feet in different positions (toe up or toe down). This controls the different grips I can put the hand in (left foot IMU), as well as the movement of the wrist (right foot IMU).

So you have to wear something on your foot too? What does that look/feel like?

They are tiny and square shaped probably like 2 inches by 2 inches. They aren't very noticeable and clip on to my shoes. They aren't heavy anything. The foot sensors (IMU's) control my wrist bending (and my grip change) and when you walk there is something the arm does called "walk detect" so the sensors stop working momentarily so the arm doesn't start bending but occasionally if I step too slow the wrist bends and then the arm goes into walk detect and I' stuck that way ... which can be annoying.

#cyborgproblems

It'll start trending in a few years.

can't wait.

The mental image of you slapping your bionic hand and glaring at it telling it to 'behave' is hilarious.

This. happened.

Are the toe sensors wireless? So someone could hack the signal and remotely control your arm without you knowing?

Oh god. I'll let the gov't know.

Do you ever like, scratch one foot with the toe of the other foot then crush the drink can you're holding?

I bent down to pick something up and my wrist just started spinning sigh

Okay guys! I'm done! My hand is super tired. Thank you for all the great questions. The DEKA people are sending me the arm in 2 weeks to test for 4 months so maybe I'll have more cool photos fr y'all then.

Ever give a guy a bionic hand job?

I knew this was coming eventually. I have not ever. And honestly, I don't really think t'd feel all that great.

It honestly makes me picture a future Wtf post titled something like " bionic arm removes penis during foreplay."

I feel like that headline is entirely probable if someone tried it out.

Guarantee you could find someone on here with that fetish who would love it.

Oh my god, they are everywhere. They are called devotees, I get 10+ adds on facebook daily from them.

Stay classy, Reddit.

;)

that one there, that'l rip your dick off.

100% agreed.

These are the questions that true thinkers ask.

Inquiring minds, right.

I'd be scared of a malfunction, resulting in me needing a prosthetic penis.

Your fear is a rational one. I'd advise avoiding bionic HJ's

How did you find out your picture was on Reddit and how did you feel about it. Also do you know who put it up?

I woke up this morning to a call from my boyfriend. He's a Marine at training and one of the guys in his platoon happened to see it and tell him. I thought it was awesome, he thought it was awesome and we were both shocked at how long it took everyone to start making robot handjob comments.

The girl who put it up was in grade school with me. I'm a pretty easy going person so I think she knew I'd be okay with it.

I woke up this morning to a call from my boyfriend. He's a Marine at training

You crushed oh so many dreams with that line.

haha

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Quantico, he's at TBS

Do you ever incorporate any of your hands into fancy dress costumes?

I love dressing up! Halloween is the best. But, I also like to act so I've done extra work in several movies where I've played a zombie, wounded veteran, or a dead body. I also am in a haunted house every year.

http://imgur.com/I9JEhsV http://imgur.com/b7BvgJC http://imgur.com/W2qYrZ6 http://imgur.com/z3pX5zr http://imgur.com/a3ibs8s

You should do Gaige from Borderlands 2

I like it!

Holy shit that's awesome.

Thank you :)

Wow never thought about it but I bet haunted house operators love you :)

Yes they do!

I worked a haunted house with a guy who had both arms amputated. He was the BEST to work with, since he'd make the perfect distraction. He'd play like a mannequin, people would come in and go "Is he a real person?" "No way he's real, look, he's got no arms!" Then I'd come charging them, and he would move towards them. They never saw it coming.

Also, mind me asking what haunted house you work at?

I know right! They used to tell me I was green screen ... "bitch, you know how green screen works."

13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Is that last one your spin on Cherry Darling? I like it! All the costumes look fantastic, no wonder you love halloween :)

Yep! Thanks so much! I'm planning on doing an Elysium type costume this year with the DEKA arm.

Have you ever considered doing Ash from Army of Darkness?

Every year! but his shirt is like rags and I feel like I'm cheating if I wear a shirt under and I can't convince myself to do it.

When did you lose your arm? And how?

Edit: I made an incorrect assumption when I read "amputee," not fully understanding that congenital meant "from birth." For this, I apologize.

I was actually born without my arm. I am (as far as i've heard) the youngest in the world to be fit with a myoelectric prosthesis. I was 6 weeks for my first passive arm and 4 months 10 days for my first myoelecric.

What is your favourite Radiohead album?

You want me to say the king of limbs, don't you.

How does it feel being armed and dangerous?

I'm going to say I'm a big fan.

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HEEEYYY! The one I have is actually still experimental but it truly is the best arm I've ever worn. The wrist is amazing. Arms that are on the market that are good are like the bebionic 3 (super interested in that one), the michaelangelo hand by ottobock, and the iLimb by touch bionics. If you want to be in the study here's the info

Study: Clinical Evaluation of the DEKA Arm

Researchers at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, are inviting individuals with an upper limb amputation to participate in a research study to test a new prosthetic arm. This exciting new study is a result of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) "Revolutionizing Prosthetics" Program that was announced in 2005.

The purpose of the study is to test the new DEKA Arm System (socket and arm). Subjects in this study will be fit with the new DEKA Arm, and will spend time training to use it. During about 21 visits, veterans will be asked to answer questions about the use, wear and comfort of this new artificial limb. They will also be asked to perform simple tests to see how well the arm works.

Volunteers will receive compensation for each completed visit and travel reimbursement. All information remains confidential.

The study is being led by Dr. Linda Resnik of the Providence VA Medical Center. The Principal Investigator at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital is Gail Latlief. The arm is produced by DEKA Integrated Solutions Corp., an affiliate of DEKA Research & Development Corp.

For more information about this project, please call Dr. Linda Resnik at 401/273-7100 ext. 2368 or Dr. Gail Latlief at 813/972-2000 ext. 7137.

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lol you and me both. "hey I saw an arm on dateline last night"

I'm like yeah .. I know.

Has your arm every malfunctioned?

YES. When the pinch pressure increased and they added another electrode/sensor when I was in 7th grade - I was testing out the pinch on my leg. I used to do this so I'd know how hard I was pinching something. Well, I messed up and my arm when full pinch (~15 pounds) on my inner calf. I screamed in the middle of class. It's still several of my friends' favorite me story.

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So. Annoying.

I'm interested in the philosophy of cybernetics and I was wondering do you identify yourself with the idea of a cyborg? Does that word create a positive or a negative image in your mind, and why?

The prosthetic in the archery pic looks badass...

I'm in graduate school for psychology and I really like your thinking. I've been looking at stigma (pos/neg) with words like nub/stub/stump but cyborg isn't one I've thought of. I think cyborg is positive to me. It draws thoughts of advancement and innovative design.

Does the fact that you don't have blood pumping through your forearm confer to you extra stability and accuracy?

This photo shows the first time I've ever shot a bow! I had never been able to before due to the limited mobility of other prosthetics. I'm not sure about extra accuracy (I did hit the target [not dead on] every time until it got heavy from holding it out) but I think possibly stability.

Would you consider getting an arm with some kind of built-in crossbow?

I WOULD LOVE ONE. Will you make it for me?

I just got my engineering degree and robotic prosthetics is one area I'd be really keen to work in, there's basically nothing I would rather do than build weaponised prosthetic limbs for people. But I've got no experience yet so you might want to wait a while...

Edit: OK I've replied to this with a shitty design I did so you'd all leave me alone, I just have to hope employers don't see it

This is how super villains/heroes are started.

YOU HUSH.

I WANT

If you could have an arm made up with an additional unexpected function (built-in flashlight, built-in-cellphone, secret storage compartment etc), what would you ask for?

(And now I'm imagining one which turns into a crossbow...)

Definitely some type of internet access. Can it shoot lasers? Will you make it for me?

internet access would be awesome, you could WI-FIve people.

nice!

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Oh god. I could write a book. I was bad though when I was little so I used to try catch people off guard. I used to hide my arm in my teachers' desks in school. I used to throw my arm in the pool during adult swim. Usually when I catch people staring, I like to slowly move my arm behind my back until they realize and look up a my face and I just smile at them.

I always have to get "wanded" at airports and then the pull me aside and test it fr explosives by using this sheet they rub against my rm and then run it through a machine

Just remember that some of us stare because it's fantastic.

I work in assistive technology/neural engineering, so I'm always getting caught staring at nice wheelchairs and prosthetics. It's like a guy staring when he sees a nice car, except they are much cooler than a car.

Yeah, I feel like I can tell the inquisitive from the rude by now :) but either way I'd love if they just said hi!

do you have superhuman grip strength?

The grip is pretty intense. The standard is 15 pounds of pinch pressure and this arm exceeds that. I can't remember the number exactly but it was strong enough for me to carry a 40 pound bag across a room with it. Of course my shoulder was really sore after that.

How does it stay on your arm when lifting heavy objects straight up? Thanks for doing this, the answers are all very interesting!

The socket fits relatively tightly but mostly I use suction. I've done it since I was very young so I don't know entirely how to explain it but I do know that in the 4th grade this boy swung me around by arm trying to get it off and it almost dislocated my shoulder Eventually I had to release suction. He's the only person to ever pull my arm off but technically I don't think that counts.

Assuming I get my arm severed, how much will one of those beauts run me?

Hah! Well, the one in the picture (DEKA arm) isn't on the market yet and from what I heard each finger on that arm is close to 100 grand. An iLimb, which is one of the most advanced is ~80 grand. They are so expensive but my insurance covers 80% of the cost which is pretty damn good.

Ever seen Full Metal Alchemist? I can't wait for the day where we have prosthesis at that functionality.

I have not but I've seen iRobot. I can't wait!

How is it going through airport security?

It's not terrible when i'm wearing my cosmetic arm but the DEKA arm is not allowed to go through security or on planes because it is a prototype. They have to ship it.

Did you paint those nails, or are there exchangable nails with different colours?

I painted them! And, despite what everyone is saying - my other hand IS painted and I painted it using the DEKA arm.

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Actually, a couple! Like my arm I used for cheerleading in high school to hold my pom poms

Do you believe that bionic arms will ever be more functional than human arms? If so, would it be ethical for people to elect to have bionic arms?

more functional? I think it's possible but I don't know why they'd invest the money into a program to do that. They are getting closer to just meeting the standards of a human hand but still way off so if it is possible - it's a long way off.

Which one is your favorite?

That's hard because I love the DEKA arm (which isn't pictured) but it weighs 6 pounds and is close to 3 times the size of my real arm but it helps me so much. My cosmetic arm,which looks real and is lighter, is the easiest to wear.

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http://imgur.com/P6wCB6D http://imgur.com/BNbHovd

You're pretty. :3

Thank you! :D

It's really cool that you're doing an AMA!

What is the grip strength like with the various arms you've used? Could you life a 10lb dumbell? 20? 30?

Also do you find that being an amputee impacts your dating life at all, say in comparison to your friends?

EDIT: OH! And does being an amputee affect your "handedness," or can you learn to use either hand dominantly?

All great questions! The grip strength of "bionic" arms has gotten much stronger over the years. The basic "myo" was 15 pounds of pressure (finger to finger when closed) and with the DEKA arm I was able to carry a ~40 pound bag across the room during testing. Now as for dumbbells - that involves shoulder strength too which I have very little of but just like up off the ground I could do that.

And yeah, I think it does/did. Guys, and people in general can be uncomfortable around amputees because they haven't had much contact with them so guys don't just come up and hit on me a lot because well - I guess they think me having one arm is weird so usually I get hit on by people who've had a chance to get to know me.

But i'm in a long term relationship and guys can be rude to him when he tells them I have one arm. Like "that's really nice of you to date her" ... like he's doing me a favor. It's funny to me most of the time. I think people are just afraid of what they aren't familiar with.

I'm actually *supposed to be left handed (and i'm missing my left). My dad and half my family is left handed. I got my first "bionic" arm at 4 month 10 days old. It could only open and close but that's enough for a baby so I used my left arm for as long as I could before needed to switch to my right for more fine motor skills.

I have no idea why any guy wouldn't want to date you. Your guy is lucky. You're a beautiful girl and I think the arm actually looks awesome on you. There are plenty of guys who would date you in a heartbeat. I know I would.

Thank you! :)

"that's really nice of you to date her"

Is he like....dude, I'm dating a badass terminator, we don't need your pity, we fucking rock!

HE IS! Thank you :D

Do you get a lot of awkward stares from people? How do you deal with it?

Yep, people stare a lot. Always have. When I was little I used to run up to them when I noticed and be like "I was born without my arm, I can take it off, want to see?" But, I'm pretty much use to it by now. Even rude comments usually roll right off me.

Would you mind if a kid asked you about it, or does it annoy you?

I love when people ask! Asking great!

How did you come across working with DEKA?

I was looking at the amputee coalition website and there was an opportunity to be a part of their research. They are partnered with the Dept of Veteran affairs

Do you ever call yourself Team Other Barry, I mean Angel?

O_o

Were you actually born without the lower half of your arm, or did it need to be removed?
I know someone who was born with a stump just below his elbow, and vestigal fingers. He's a seriously impressive guy - architect, softball player, and better on a motorbike than I'll ever be.

I was born without my arm just like your friend. I'm working on picking up cool hobbies like him as well!

how do you type?

With just my one hand mostly. Occasionally I'll use my residual limb (if my arm is off) or my prosthesis to hit shift or ctrl. I type 60+ words per minute. I had a great computer teacher in school who started me doing touch typing in 3rd grade.

The tube from the "bionic arm", where does that go to?

It's actually just a thick wire that is running to a large battery pack. The government is just designing the arm not the power source so that part will stay "ugly" until a company buys the technology to distribute.

When I was in kindergarten there was a girl with a prosthetic leg. She would get made fun of in the playground because she was different and it always made me feel really uncomfortable because she was always nice to everyone and never seemed bitter, she just wanted to be a kid like everyone else.

Did you ever feel short changed in friendship when you were younger or find it hard to talk to people?

That girl sounds a lot like me. I love people, still do. I just wanted to be friends with everyone but kids were mean. Kids are mean. Eventually they grew out of it but there were a select few who were nice to me. It was never hard to talk to people though hah I loved talking to everyone.

Do you ever arm wrestle with other people that have prosthetic arms for therapy (or fun)? Have you ever played rock, paper, scissors with your prosthesis?

We played connect four the other day. And then we fist bumped.

How do the different types of prosthetics attach to your real arm?

There are arms that you can literally swap attachments onto a socket but I don't have any like that. All of my arms are permanently connected to the socket (where my arm fits in)

Might sound strange, but have you ever lost or forget a prosthetic somewhere?

Oh but I have. Especially as a kid. It has been stolen twice as well.

How precise is your control when holding items? Can you hold the bow steady? Have you tried testing the articulation of any type of prosthetic limb while using firearms?

The control is the best I've experienced but not to the extent of a human hand. I was able to hold the bow steady initially but after awhile the 6 pounds of the arm got heavy and that didn't go as well. As a rule of the study, no handling firearms while wearing the arm - >:) but hypothetically I could hit a clay pigeon on my first try with a shot gun.

I would totally recreate the scene in Terminator 2 at Miles Dysons house if I had that arm... totally badass

Haha I wish it looked like that arm.

How hard can you punch someone? I bet it'd be awesome with a bionic arm, and maybe eventually you can punch through walls with superhuman strength.

The arm weighs ~6 pounds. It's like swinging a bat at somewhere. I'd be down for superhuman strength

What's the purpose of the baby arm? Was it merely cosmetic?

Yes, the arm pictured was only cosmetic but I do have "bionic" arms I wore as a baby. They had a really simple open close with no varying degrees of open.

How many high fives could give in quick succession?

Do you think you could beat this guy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hilzRYECK24

I'm up for the challenge. But i'm more of a thumbs up professional. http://instagram.com/p/cowTJyoTSQ/

How functional is your bionic arm?

The DEKA arm is the most functional arm I've ever used. I've never been able to give a thumbs up or eat using y prosthesis before.

So most people that lose a limb have that ghost limb syndrome thing....where they think their missing body party is still there and they can feel it....

...but since you were born with out the arm from the start...do you experience something similar

Nope! But it is still possible for congenital (from birth) amputees to have phantom pain, I just don't

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damn me & my big mouth. The worst one.

Is your bionic arm stronger than your normal arm?

Stronger how? What you have to realize is when i'm holding my left arm straight out with my prosthesis on, the weight is pushing against the end of my residual limb. and hen I carry things, even though the arm can hold however many pounds because of pinch pressure, I still have to use suction to hold my arm on. Also, my left shoulder is pretty week. The arm might have the capacity to be stronger but I don't think it is because of the other issues.

A. It is super fucking cool you are a cyborg. Just sayin'

B. What have you done that's leveraged your super-power? Picked up something too hot or too cold for human hands? Is it water proof? Do you have a cat and is it much easier to wash them without fear of being clawed into ribbons? How long does the battery last?

So cool.

Thought of another one - you can deal with spiders and other scary bugs NO PROBLEM!

Haha yes I do the picking up too hot and too cold things all the time. The bionic arms are usually "water resistant" but not water proof. It s much easier to bathe my ferret without fear. The battery lasts around 14 hours, depends how much i'm using it.

What is your favorite color?

Red!