Nigerian firm develops bionic arms for amputees

Gift Usen cannot wait to have her hand. Born 25 years ago in Akwa Ibom, southern Nigeria, she has navigated through her life with only one fully developed hand.

"I grew up to see myself with one and a half hands. And most times I feel discouraged, but I had to encourage myself because this is how I saw it. I didn't create myself," said Usen, a cosmetologist.

Nigeria has no precise data on how many citizens use prosthetics. But prosthetics have been inaccessible or unaffordable to a significant number of amputees and other Nigerians who lack a hand.

Immortal Cosmetic Art, a Nigerian prosthetics firm, hopes to remedy the situation with its Ubokobong Bionic Arm. The company has designed a humanoid bionic arm that works with electromyography signals sent from the brain to different hand muscles when an amputee loses his hands.

Ubokobong Amanam prepares to create a flesh-like bionic arm.

It hopes to officially launch production with support from either the government or NGOs, whose financial support will make the prosthetics affordable for ordinary people in Nigeria. So far the company also has orders from the United States, Britain, Australia and Ghana from people attracted to the humanoid bionic arm.

"Bionics are readily available in other parts of the world, but what we have here are hyper-real bionic forms, which means they look human-like and yet functional," said John Amanam Sunday, a hyper-realistic prosthetic artist and Immortal Cosmetic Art's CEO.

"They are not just static, but they are functional and human-like. So this is a step further from what we already have obtainable in the market. And the most beautiful part of it is that it is black skin coloured."

Built for Africans by Africans, the Ubokobong Bionic Arm has already received multiple orders even before its official launch, Amanam said.

Gift Usen, 25, born handicapped, attempts to pick up her handbag while testing a custom-made bionic prosthetic arm at Immortal Cosmetic Art laboratory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Photos: Reuters

The idea of a hyper-real bionic arm was born after Amanam's younger brother, Ubokobong, lost his fingers to exploding firecrackers during a New Year's Eve celebration six years ago.

The brother's emotional distress at the inability to find artificial fingers that could match his skin tone in Nigeria inspired Amanam to establish Immortal Cosmetic Art.

Initially, the prosthetics were purely aesthetic and lacked functionality. Recognizing this gap, Ubokobong applied his background in technology and electronics to develop a working solution. After three years of dedicated research, he successfully built the Ubokobong Bionic Arm.

Amanam has not announced a date for the official launch of Ubokobong Bionic Arm, but Usen said she cannot wait for the day.

"When we are launching it will be my greatest happiness ever. Finally, I'll have two hands. You know, maybe feel," she said.

Reuters