By: A.C.
Did anyone see the The One Show on 8 April 2016 on the subject on jewel–encrusted, techno-robot, and realistic looking prosthetics?
This item featured the work of Sophie De OIiveira Barata a prosthetic limb designer.
“Polyanna Hope was just 2 years old when she lost her leg in a tragic accident and had been going to Sophie for a new realistic limb each year but had started to make requests for something fun and different. Thinking that Polyanna probably wasn’t the only amputee with a taste for something a little out of the ordinary, The Alternative Limb Project was born”.
The item on the One Show featured some of her work, which showed both realistic and fun prostheses which were simply incredible.
James Young, who was featured in the BBC report, had fallen down between Underground carriages and lost an arm and leg as a result.
He answered an advert which stated, according to the Independent:
“Applicants had to be passionate about computer games and live in the UK. Oh, and they also had to be amputees who were interested in wearing a futuristic prosthetic limb. In the end, more than 60 people replied to the ad, which was looking for a games-mad amputee to become the recipient of a bespoke high-tech prosthetic arm inspired by Metal Gear Solid, one of the world’s best-selling computer games. Designed and built by a team of 10 experts led by London-based prosthetic sculptor Sophie de Oliveira Barata, the £60,000 carbon-fibre limb is part art project, part engineering marvel.”
The One Show item reported that despite, the high –value sophisticated cost of the prosthetic limb, it was unable to cope with a supermarket basket which had two large bottles of cider in it. The middle finger broke, and left his futuristic robotic hand in a “ single finger” rude gesture – which had to be repaired.
The gallery of alternative limbs designed by of Sophie De OIiveira Barata are incredible and can be viewed here.
Her work on realistic looking limbs can be viewed here.
The realistic limb photographic gallery looks as though it is not loading properly, but simply mouse over one of the pictures and it jumps into slide show mode.
Sophie De Oliveira Barata has a Facebook Page here.