Recently, it has been announced that Open Bionics is working with the team behind the reinvigorated Deus Ex series. During their E3 2016 broadcast on June 8, they revealed to the world that they are creating a functional bionic arm which resembles the one worn by Adam Jensen, the main character of the game Deus Ex Human Revolution and its upcoming sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
They now have a full website up, speaking about the project, but I had a chance to sit down with Samantha Payne from Open Bionics about this project and about the work they’re doing.
GamesSkinny (Angelina Bonilla): How did you come in contact with Eidos Montreal?
GamesSkinny: In what way has their work influenced your newest designs?
Image Credited to Eidos Montreal
GamesSkinny: Your company’s goal is to “Change the prosthetic industry by making affordable, functional and beautiful prosthetic devices for amputees.” Do you think that making the arms similar to that of Jensen’s will attract people to it, and will it still be affordable to the 2 million amputees worldwide?
GamesSkinny: In the process of making your arms function as well as they do, you mention that sensors are attached to the wearer’s skin, which pick up muscle movements that control the hand. Could you go more in depth on how that works?
These arms are so beautiful they are already attracting fans of the game and people who are not gamers. We’ve already been contacted by a lot of upper-limb amputees asking for one of these arms. We’ve also been asked by gamers to create an arm that is wearable for people with two arms, which is interesting. This collaboration has really got people talking about the desirability of these devices. Before this partnership, it was extremely rare to hear someone with two arms say ‘I wish I had a prosthesis’. Our aim is to offer amputees something they’ll enjoy wearing. We’re challenging attitudes.
Image Credited to Open Bionics
GamesSkinny: All of your prosthetic arms stand out from the other arms that are on the market right now because they don’t try to blend in. How did you come to that decision?
GamesSkinny: The design for the Jensen arm is going to be open source, which allows anyone to download the design and create it with their own 3D printer. Why did you choose to make it open source?
Amputees have been very open about how slowly attitudes have been changing. For a lot of the older generation, they experienced body-shaming for being different. Now prosthetics are becoming cool and a trendy accessory. People are more open to body differences and more interested in experimenting with their bodies. It makes sense to apply that same experimentation to prosthetics which are just an extension of the body. They’re useful tools, and they can look awesome too.
Image Credited to Open Bionics
GamesSkinny: What sort of hurdles have you had to jump over in order to create the bionic arms and make them accessible for millions?
GamesSkinny: Are you planning on making other kinds of prosthetic limbs in the future, such as legs?
GamesSkinny: With the partnership between Eidos: Montreal and Razer, has developing the arms gotten easier with all this support behind it now?
Razer has created a unique experience allowing people with two arms to control a bionic hand. This will hopefully get people thinking about the design of the human hand and how lucky those of us who have them are.
Image Credited to Open Bionics
GamesSkinny: Could you, in your own words, explain to us what inspired you to make these bionic arms and what you’re planning on doing in the future of this company?
Image Credited to Open Bionics
GamesSkinny: You say that you want to show people that these devices in video games and science fiction can become a reality. What is the best part about bringing prosthetic limbs, like Jensen’s, to life for millions of people all around the world?
A big thank you to Open Bionics (Samantha Payne) for taking the time to answer my questions. Check out their website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Linkedin and Google Plus. Open Bionics is changing the world of Bionic arms and Prosthetic Limbs, one arm at a time.
