Johan from Lent, the first Dutchman with brass-mounted artificial arm

nijmegen - For the eyes of Johan Baggerman from the Gelderse Lent, the miracle of the robotics is taking place. 'Really, it's incredible!'

Something that he never thought possible again happens: he can open and close the hand of his now artificial, brain-steered and left-hand arm attached to the skeleton, stretch his elbow and bend and turn his wrist- left and right. Baggerman is the very first Dutchman wearing a robot arm and intuitively driving his mind. 'When I look at it...' The tears sometimes put him in the eye.

Baggerman was truck driver until the moment on Wednesday afternoon April 28, 2010 his truck combination left over and tilted. He was sitting in his cabin, the roof was in his arm.

The artificial arm is attached to what remained of its necessary amputated arm. The prosthesis is made up of robot parts, manufactured in England (the robothand), the United States (elbow and software) and Nijmegen, in Radboudumc, where the nerve connectors were developed on the muscles. A special example of applied medical robotics.

'I'm thinking of opening a hand!' Or closing, and hopping: there goes, 'says Baggerman. 'But exhausting is it, all that exercise. After ten minutes I'm dying. 'The robot arm is still strange, he experiences. 'Almost as strange as when I was hugged and still feeling my real hand. These were already 'phantom lines', which I still have. '

Rehabilitation doctor Henk van de Meent of the Nijmegen University Hospital, who began with the development of this advanced prosthesis together with surgeon Jan Paul Frölke, welcomed the result three years ago. Even though the arm is in repair again.

Both doctors are glad that they have been able to do this for the unfortunate professional driver. 'But now it will only take time,' says Van de Meent. 'Mr. Baggerman will have to make his robot arm own. See it as a musical instrument that you must learn to discover. Occasionally you get a sound and one day you play a melody. '

Or not, says the doctor. 'Whether it's going to be a success, we do not know. Baggerman is a doorman. But we must also convince the health insurer that our patient needs this arm. Cost? One tonne, the treatments have not yet been taken into account. '