Europe's First Bionic Hand

From: Deutsche Welle
Series: Digital Europe
Length: 05:00

A robotic implant is much closer to reality after controversial, but successful surgery replaced an Austrian man's hand. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Europe's First Bionic Hand
From: Deutsche Welle

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We've all seen cybernetic implants in movies. Think the Terminator, or Data from Star Trek - The Next Generation. Although fictional, that type of real robotic implant may be a lot closer to reality than you might think. A young man in Austria who opted to have his injured hand amputated and replaced with a bionic one. The surgery caused some controversy when it happened last year, but it is now being called a success--the patient has taken well to his new robotic body part and is back to a relatively normal life. In fact, the surgeon says he has received several requests for similar procedures, which he calls “Bionic Reconstructions.” These are essentially elective amputations for the purpose of being fitted with a prosthetic. And we’re not talking about the clunky prosthetics of the past. These are sleek mind-controlled bionic body parts with sensors on the skin that pick up signals directly from the brain, and they can cost up to 14-thousand dollars or more, depending on the level of customization. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reports from Vienna.

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Piece Description

We've all seen cybernetic implants in movies. Think the Terminator, or Data from Star Trek - The Next Generation. Although fictional, that type of real robotic implant may be a lot closer to reality than you might think. A young man in Austria who opted to have his injured hand amputated and replaced with a bionic one. The surgery caused some controversy when it happened last year, but it is now being called a success--the patient has taken well to his new robotic body part and is back to a relatively normal life. In fact, the surgeon says he has received several requests for similar procedures, which he calls “Bionic Reconstructions.” These are essentially elective amputations for the purpose of being fitted with a prosthetic. And we’re not talking about the clunky prosthetics of the past. These are sleek mind-controlled bionic body parts with sensors on the skin that pick up signals directly from the brain, and they can cost up to 14-thousand dollars or more, depending on the level of customization. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reports from Vienna.

Timing and Cues

In Cue: "It was the first time that someone I was...
Outcue: "...Sruthi Pinnamaneni Deutsche Welle Radio, Vienna"
Length: 5:00

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

We've all seen cybernetic implants in movies. Think the Terminator, or Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although fictional, that type of real robotic implant may be a lot closer to reality than you might think. A young man in Austria who opted to have his injured hand amputated and replaced with a bionic one. The surgery caused some controversy when it happened last year, but it is now being called a success--the patient has taken well to his new robotic body part and is back to a relatively normal life. In fact, the surgeon says he has received several requests for similar procedures, which he calls “Bionic Reconstructions.” These are essentially elective amputations for the purpose of being fitted with a prosthetic. And we’re not talking about the clunky prosthetics of the past. These are sleek mind-controlled bionic body parts with sensors on the skin that pick up signals directly from the brain, and they can cost up to ten thousand euros or more, depending on the level of customization. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reports from Vienna.

OUTRO: