The human body is a fascinating machine, and in New Hands, New Life: Robots, Prostheses and Innovation young people can discover how the body works and learn about the assistive technologies that people with disabilities use in their daily lives.

Filled with interesting information about anatomy, the history of prosthetics, and new developments in robotic technology, New Hands, New Life also highlights many inspiring people who use prostheses every day.

Here are just a few:

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking is known worldwide as a physicist, cosmologist, and the author of A Brief History of Time. In 1963, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given two years to live. 57 years later he continues his work as an academic and writer, and he has become well known for his distinctive computer-based voice.

Adrian Anantawan

Like many musicians, Adrian Anantawan began studying violin when he was a child, but he was faced with a unique challenge — he was born without a right hand. Anantawan plays with a special prosthesis called a “spatula”, and he has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and at the White House.

Daniela Garcia

Daniela Garcia was a fourth-year medical student in Chile when her life suddenly changed. After surviving a terrifying fall from a train, Garcia lost both of her forearms and hands as well as most of her legs. She made an incredible recovery and now works as a doctor at the Children’s Rehabilitation Institute in Santiago.

Paul Templer

Paul Templer was working as a tour guide on the Zambezi River in Africa when a hippopotamus attacked his group. He suffered 40 puncture wounds and lost his left arm while attempting to save another guide’s life. Today he still works as a tour guide, leading groups on safari through South Africa.

Jordanne Whiley

When she was just 14 years old, Jordanne Whiley became the UK’s youngest ever national women’s singles champion in wheelchair tennis. Whiley has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that results in easily broken bones, but that hasn’t stopped her from competing in the Paralympics and winning multiple Grand Slam tournaments at Wimbledon.

 

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Get the book:

 New Hands, New Life: Robots, Prostheses and Innovation