Necessity is the mother of invention they say, and no more so when a young product designer has a real need!
Fergal Mackie was a student in Product Design at the University of Strathclyde, and was due to spend his summer teaching windsurfing in Greece when he suffered his serious hand and wrist injuries while skateboarding.
Very soon, he discovered that even basic tasks were mountains to climb, and set himself to working out solutions harnessing the world class prosthetics work being carried out at Strathclyde.
He carried out research, speaking to real life amputees and those who had suffered injuries akin to his own about their own experiences of prosthetics. Some of the feedback was not encouraging, with reports of issues over comfort, fit and functionality leading to disappointing rates of rejection.
Fergal found out that after all the attempts at development of alternatives, a hook invented in 1912 remained the most popular device for amputees and those with limb differences, and that according to the NHS, 26-45% of upper-limb amputees choose not to use any prosthetic devices currently available.
So in 2020, Mackie set up Metacarpal, based in Edinburgh, to develop what he believes is the world’s first bionic hand. This is a highly functional prosthetic hand that is entirely controlled and powered by body motion, eliminating the need for electronics. This bionic hand combines the practicality of body-powered control with advanced functionality offering features such as five-finger motion, variable grips, and adjustable wrist positions and allows for individual finger motion.
And the other great news is that the GEM bionic hand is manufactured in the United Kingdom, with final assembly, production management, and quality control handled directly by Metacarpal at their facilities in Edinburgh.
Fergal has recently been named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe Science and Healthcare List, which highlights notable people in various industries who are under 30 years of age.
There’s also a great BBC article from their weekly TechNow technology feature here
Source material: www.bbc.co.uk; www.socialinvestmentscotland.com
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