"First you use machines, then you wear machines, and then…?" - John Brunner (1968); Photocredit: Chris Devers http://flic.kr/p/7MNzCE
Trevor Prideaux, born with only one arm, has developed a novel solution to the problem of one-handed smartphone usage: embed the phone into your prosthetic arm. In the past, using a smartphone presented a unique challenge, balancing the phone on his arm or placing it on a surface, but now Nokia, O2 and the Exeter Mobility Centre have helped him develop a solution (after Apple refused to help), The Daily Telegraph reported. The innovation has excited tech-heads, who are wondering whether they too could slot their beloved gadgets into their limbs. After all, who needs a totally superfluous second hand, when you could have a phone-arm, instead?
“I think this is the first time this has ever been done in the world – and it is brilliant”, Prideaux told The Daily Telegraph.
Human 2.0? Chris Burns at Slashgear was wowed. Suddenly a handicap is turned into a benefit, and he bemoaned his useless fleshy arm: “Plain old human arm not looking so good to you now, is it?”
Versatility. Casey Chan accused people who called one-armed individuals “handicapped” of having a “lack of imagination. Think about the versatility you gain!” he exclaimed, admiring Prideaux’s creativity. Writing for Gizmodo, he said “You free up a pocket, have your phone always accessible and live in a futuristic reality where your prosthetic arm is smarter than a dumb fleshy one.”
Possibilities are endless. Clay Dillow, writing for Popular Science, let his imagination run wild. “Right now, the prosthesis is a prosthesis and the phone is simply a phone, but the idea of integrating the two opens the door to some unique possibilities.” Extra battery, enhanced speakers, and perfectly augmented limbs could be next.
