The Real Bionic Man | Freethink Superhuman

My journey began in 2005. That's when I got diagnosed with cancer. Six surgeries trying to cut it out. Thirty-nine radiation treatments trying to burn it out. My cancer doctor told me that they had done everything in their power so we’re going to have to amputate. At that time I just called myself an old backwoods country hillbilly and now they tell me that I’m the most technically advanced man in the robotic field to this day. I’ve never been a rich man but I’ve been a hard worker all my life. A little bit of caffeine keeps me from getting mean. I’m happy go lucky. I’m a jokester. Everything that I do I try to do the best I can. I’ve been told you know with one arm you can’t do stuff. You know, there’s lots of things you can’t do. Well, I’m not saying you’re going to do it fast, but eventually you’ll get it done. When I got cancer and then lost my arm, you know. I mean it blew my mind, I mean, you know. Why would this happen to me? Now, you know, I can’t go out and take care of the family like I used to. But you know it’s there, so I’m going make the best of it. I live my life by two rules. There’s a reason for the season and always have PMA Positive Mental Attitude. I got introduced to Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. They had a project to build the arm that was said to be revolutionizing prosthetics. The modular prosthetic limb... They wanted everything to move just like your natural hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder can do. And they needed the human factor now to come in and start testing and working with the arm. I got a chance to meet with Dr. Albert Chi at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Albert Chi found the nerves that use to go to Johnny’s hand and moved them to healthy muscles in his remaining limb. He introduced me to Targeted Muscle Reinnervation. And that is the surgery and technique that you use to work prosthetics with your mind. And I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be the one. I mean, why would some backwoods country hillbilly be the chosen one? I just got to go with the flow. Courtney, as much as we have worked together now, it’s more than just as a tech-prosthetist relationship. We’re just like a family. Johnny's unique in all kinds of ways. But what makes him unique in how he controls the limb is that he has the osseointegrated implant. Osseo means bone...integration with the bone. So they bore out the center and it’s implanted into the medulla of the bone, the inner core. He’s the first person to get the implant in the United States. The first time they told me “Johnny, I want you to think close your hand.” So I think “close hand” and that robotic hand went close like that. Man I come by… YEAH! I wanted to come out of that chair so bad! Remember, deep breath, relax. The biggest motivation is I have a second chance on life. I could have lost my life with cancer. I had three of my children that were in the service come back with all their extremities but some of their buddies didn’t. I want to be the best role model to forward on the prosthetic field. I want to better a lot of lives. Sometimes the biggest challenge is slowing Johnny down. Every single time we work together he shows me that there’s far more by pushing the envelope that results in practical application. And it’s forcing me to adapt things that I might not have thought of before. Right now with kind of the man-machine integration, Johnny has narrowed that gap to the smallest distance that it has ever been. Right now, the modular prosthetic limb is an in-lab arm only. If I was able to bring this arm home on a regular basis, it's unbelievable what I could probably accomplish with this on. I’m going to push it as far as I can push it. I want to introduce you to the place that I stay each and every time I come up to Baltimore. The magnificent “Hotel Chi.” I can’t believe we’re here in this setting. Everything we’ve done so far has been in the lab. And to see Johnny right now with the system in-place, it’s just so incredible and so moving for me. This man means a lot to me. I mean, I put my life in his hands and I mean literally. He’s beyond being my doctor. To me, he’s just like my brother. Remember we were talking about how it’s Johnny that challenges me? This is just an example of that. There’s times when Johnny pushes the envelope in a way that I don’t feel comfortable with. Oh no! What happened? Nothing. Give me a towel, real quick. Give me a towel. Give me a towel. Hurry...give me a towel. Feel free to point out: "and the researcher, Courtney, is visibly uncomfortable during cooking dinner." I have to put a glove on this hand or at least make an attempt to. Just be cautious. You are such a mother, you know? You’re going to give me something? You want to find out if it’s going to work? I’m going to work it. The cooking was, I mean, nerve wracking but now in hindsight, I mean, it was amazing. We didn’t practice at all. He was trailblazing it today. It’s just that one step closer from this being a research system to something deliverable. I really do feel like we're at this crossroads between breakthrough surgery and breakthrough technology. Really we’re seeing this evolution of man and machine. It’s going to be light years beyond what is available out there. Bon appetit Like I said before, you know, I don’t know why I was chosen for this. I’m not the most intelligent man in the world. I’m not the most physical, strong man in the world but it has given me a new sense of purpose. I’m just the Model T, or the Wright Brothers beginning of the technology. I’m showing you it does work and every week we’re progressing farther and farther and farther and farther. My next step is I’ll be going and I’ll be getting sensory surgery done to where I’m supposed to be able to feel as good as your own natural limb. It’s going to be good. And we’ve just begun.

Channel: Freethink

Views: 3,496,763

Rating: 4.9247575 out of 5

Keywords: freethink, technology, biotechnology, robotics, robotic, robotic arm, prosthetic arm, prosthetics, prosthetic, amputee, amputees, robot, limb, the real bionic man, superhuman, super human, bionic, bionic man, cyborg, johnny matheny bionic arm, johnny matheny robotic arm, johnny matheny arm, interview, johnny matheny interview, johnny matheny documentary, jonny matheny, johns hopkins, free think, johns hopkins university, science, robot arm, bionic woman, applied physics lab, arm, bionic arm

Id: 7JcM6eel9Q0

Length: 8min 36sec (516 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 29 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/haukened]

A bionic Walter White. We're all doomed to be meth heads now.

[u/triggeron]

I was lucky enough to be on one of the DARPA Revolutionizing Prosthetics teams that worked on the tech that eventually led to this arm. The work started way back in the mid 2000's. Always love too see it being put to good use.

[u/ayKoohs]

i was blown away when i saw he could pick up a cherry tomato @6:46 :o

[u/[deleted]]

Looks like it uses a Myo Gesture Controller, which was supposed to be unique in that it feels for muscle activity. I don't know if the Myo ever did well by itself, but this is pretty cool use for it. And this guy seems like the perfect personality for piloting prosthetic systems. He's not depressed, he's happy and open minded. He's willing to try anything and he won't shy away from using the equipment in ways that it may not be supposed to be used, which will expose weaknesses in it later. He seems like a good man, while still being an average dude.

I wonder how well it responds to someone who NEVER had a limb, or never had time to learn to use it. Or rather, how someone would control it compared to someone who lost the limb later in life.

Really cool stuff.

[u/whydontyouwork]

Amazing

[u/notjawn]

It's just amazing that we'll see cybernetics become a reality in the next few years. Even better you have a public face for it for that is downright charismatic and charming. They may replicate his limb but never his personality nor spirit!

[u/The_Music]

It's a delight to see people from one walk of life get such a new perspective on another.

[u/rustinthewind]

Chills when I saw him using it in the practical house setting. This is amazing research and this man understands his part in all of it.

[u/joshthehappy]

Let him wear one home dammit.