Christian Kandlbauer had lost both his arms in an accident after climbing up a utility pole and getting shocked by touching a power line in September 2005. I know, who would touch a power line? But he did. Luckily he was given a second chance. With the help of a high-tech, mind-controlled robotic limb, he was able to regain almost every vital movements an independent individual should have. He even got a driver's license.
Now the 22-year-old has died of injuries suffered from a car accident. His car veered off the road and hit a tree. The cause of the crash is
still unknown and if the robotic arm had anything to do with it.
still unknown and if the robotic arm had anything to do with it.
"Kandlbauer was the first person outside the United States to wear the innovative, robotic limb that recognized signals from his brain and moved accordingly, said Otto Bock of HealthCare Products GmbH that produced the prothesis. With a normal prothesis for his right arm and the high-tech prosthesis in place of his left, Kandlbauer's daily life had largely returned to normal. He was able to get a job at a warehouse for an auto repair shop and obtain his driver's license in October 2009." [news.yahoo.com]
You maybe wondering can he really drive a normal car? No he can't. To enable Kandlbauer to drive himself to work every morning, his Subaru Impreza was adapted with special equipment, including a modified emergency brake and special buttons to operate the horn, indicator lights and windshield wipers. It was later approved by local transportation authorities.
"I like driving," he said on his site. What an ironic and tragic thing to happen. He should not have been given a license in the first place. There are so many things that can happen to you when driving. A driver needs a full working body to react to every scenario thrown to him while on the road. I'm just saying that when a normal person drives a car there's always a risk for accidents. What more for a robotic armed man? Would you have agreed to allow Kandlbauer to drive?
You maybe wondering can he really drive a normal car? No he can't. To enable Kandlbauer to drive himself to work every morning, his Subaru Impreza was adapted with special equipment, including a modified emergency brake and special buttons to operate the horn, indicator lights and windshield wipers. It was later approved by local transportation authorities.
"I like driving," he said on his site. What an ironic and tragic thing to happen. He should not have been given a license in the first place. There are so many things that can happen to you when driving. A driver needs a full working body to react to every scenario thrown to him while on the road. I'm just saying that when a normal person drives a car there's always a risk for accidents. What more for a robotic armed man? Would you have agreed to allow Kandlbauer to drive?
Source: news.yahoo.com
Image Via Associated Press
