Teacher's 3D printed hand replaces limb he lost 30 years ago

02 February 2024 , 00:01

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Suleman Chohan with his new hand (Image: Open Bionics / SWNS)

A teacher who lost his hand 30 years ago in an industrial accident says a revolutionary 3D-printed prosthetic hand has ­transformed his life.

Suleman Chohan, 50, can cook and ride a mountain bike again for the first time since the 1990s, and he can also play his beloved virtual reality games.

Mr Chohan, who is the first person in Britain to be fitted with the new type of prosthetic, declared it “a work of art”. He said: “It’s amazing. Honestly, it’s brilliant stuff they can do. When I had my amputation, there wasn’t much around. My NHS centre gave me a latex hand that didn’t have any ­function. It was heavy, so I didn’t really use it.”

Chohan can now cook again thanks to the hand (Open Bionics / SWNS)

A year ago he was approached by British robotics company Open Bionics who were looking to test the new prototype of their Hero Gauntlet prosthetic. The active partial hand prosthetic is custom-made for each user using 3D scanning, printing and modelling technology. It enables those born without fingers or those who have undergone partial hand amputation to regain their hand functionality.

Mr Chohan said: “I feel comfortable when I’m out shopping, I feel comfortable in the kitchen, ­chopping vegetables. I love VR gaming but I couldn’t hold both controllers. It really frustrated me, up to a point where I taped the controller to my amputation, which was weird and didn’t really work anyway. It feels so great to be able to hold both controllers.”

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The prosthetic is made by UK company Open Bionics (Open Bionics / SWNS)

Mr Chohan, of East London, said he enjoys the positive ­reactions from strangers, adding: “It makes me feel pretty cool.”

Open Bionics mechanical engineer Hellie Mutter said: “We were really excited to see how intuitive our users found the mechanism. It’s been especially great to hear how its look has given test users a confidence boost.”

Andy Lines