Nokia engineers have helped a 50-year-old British man transform his prosthetic arm into a mobile docking station.
Trevor Prideaux, who was born without a left arm, can now call or text without moving his Nokia C7 smartphone, which is firmly embedded into his fiberglass and laminate limb.
“I think this is the first time this has ever been done in the world – and it is brilliant. I can now take calls and make texts just by using my one hand, while the phone sits inside my arm,” Prideaux told the UK-based Telegraph.
“The phone slots smoothly and securely within my limb and is easily removable, when required… People who have had motorbike crashes and soldiers who have lost limbs – they could all benefit from this.”
Prideaux also told the Telegraph he had contacted Apple for assistance in designing a prosthetic iPhone docking station, but to no avail. Prideaux then turned to Nokia for help – and had a working prototype just five weeks later.
“This phone is slightly narrower than an iPhone and has both a qwerty and alphanumeric board, which is easier for me to use. My Nokia C7 sits within my forearm, between my stump socket and the single knob rotary that holds my limb attachments in place.
“Now when I get call I can either hold my arm up to my ear or put it on speaker phone. I can also take it out if I need to. [Of course], texting is also much easier and a lot safer,” he added.
