Guitarist Hopes To Play Again With The Help of Bionic Hand

Dorian Cox, the 27-year-old guitarist of the indie band The Long Blondes, thought his guitar playing days were over after he suffered a stroke. He now has a glimmer of hope thanks to some neurological physiotherapy which includes a cutting-edge piece of medical technology. The SaeboFlex helps patients by supporting their wrists and helping them grasp and release objects. "It's a fantastic service, it's helping tremendously and I think it can work wonders for me and others — it's almost like a gym for my hand. I know things might never be the same again and nobody can give me a definite answer about whether I'll play guitar again but I'm getting back on track with their help," Mr. Cox said. This thing looks really cool, and I'm sure many people will benefit from it, though I can't help but wonder if they make a model that lets you shoot your fist at an enemy.

Another Possibility

If the "cutting-edge piece of medical technology" isnt enough to play real guitar, he could always play bass.

Like William Murderface.

not a bionic hand at all

This is in no way whatsoever a bionic hand. A bionic hand is a powered orthosis that has both intelligence in the form of things like feedback contol and intent recognition + integration with the nervous system in some way. This thing here is a fancy brace, basically. Nothing at all like a "bionic hand"! This is probably the worst misuse of the word "bionic" that I've ever seen.

Re:not a bionic hand at all

Dictionary.com says:

bionic
-adjective
1.utilizing electronic devices and mechanical parts to assist humans in performing difficult, dangerous, or intricate tasks, as by supplementing or duplicating parts of the body

And this uses mechanical parts to assist a human in doing things.

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Also, it is not a hand - any more than a glove is a hand.

It is an orthosis, more specifically a dynamic hand orthosis.

(from a bionics researcher, with a degree in prosthetics and orthotics...)

Re:not a bionic hand at all

If we fix the grandparent, though, he still has a point.

"This is probably the worst misuse of the word 'hand' that I've ever seen."

Really, when you call something a bionic hand, you're implying it is a prosthetic limb. He still has his hand, it just doesn't work so great. The article is intentionally "misleading" but they "justify" it by including "quotes."

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I would think a prosthesis would be a robotic hand, rather than a bionic. Bionic implies a combination of machine and human parts. Which is what it looks like to me.

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It doesn't really assist. That glove is only used for reeducation. He's not going to use it to play the guitar. The guy says it himself: "it's almost like a gym for my hand".

Human MIDI controller?

I've seen the way some of these types of bionic body parts work by recognizing brain patterns associated with specific movements. I wonder how far off this technology is from allowing musicians to compose music on synthesizers just by thinking about the notes. People like me who are far better at composing than playing would be able to make some pretty incredible music with an ability like that. And people like Dorian Cox would have a much better shot at playing music again, because let's face it, guitar is hard enough when your hands are slightly cold, much less completely numb and paralyzed. There's only so much you can do with a bionic hand.

Other side of the story

Bionic hand hopes to play again with the help of a guitarist.

Anyone else think...

...Anakin Skywalker? ^_^

No need for a bionic arm...

Heh. You don't need a bionic hand for playing guitar.

Keith Xander [fender.co.uk] has been doing it for years with one arm - and well, too!

Hell, there's even a guy who plays guitar with no arms [youtube.com]! Granted, it's mostly Tom Petty songs, but still ;)

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Another thing--most people use their left hand for chords on a guitar and the right for picking. The impression here seems to be that we'll see a YouTube video of this guy's bionic hand noodling up and down the neck, but chances are it will just be a pick holder.

Re:No, you were not!

Yes, strokes can happen spontaneously overnight. There are lots of people out there who just develop blood clots without any known medical or physiological reason and it often comes on suddenly.

Clots can lead to strokes and PE's

And you can still be in good health (medically speaking) and get a thrombosis.

GrpA

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Just go away, you insensitive clot!

Re:No, you were not!

That's a lot of BS. A friend of mine had a stroke in is 30s: he kept fit, didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't eat too much, and you how it happened? He was taking a dump, was pushing hard with his mouth closed, and collapsed right there. The hospital doctor I talk to said the extreme change of blood pressure when someone does that is enough to burst a vessel even with the healthiest person.

Incidentally, I who drinks coffee, alcohol and smokes the cigar, never rushes my morning business anymore. I've seen the result, nosiree...

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you learn something new everyday...

actually, i've always had a hunch that pushing really hard when you're taking a dump could be bad for you. my circulatory system isn't that great to begin with. sometimes when i stand up and stretch my arms/legs/back really hard and sit back down, i'll get really lightheaded, to the point where i actually feel like i'm going to black out--my ears will start ringing, my vision gets dim, and sometimes i even start losing my sense of balance. it feels almost like being on nit

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The bottom line, you shouldn't have to push. Believe it or not, changing the amount of fluids (particularly water) as well as upping your fiber intake should do the trick.

Since I've changed that much of my diet (more water and a glass or two of Konsyl, a pure fiber supplement, every day) the crap literally falls out of me and in massive quantity. At the worst, your breathing and sitting up straight while taking a bowel movement should be enough to work it out of you. Remember to breathe, the displacement

Re:No, you were not!

Thank you.

Taking a shit was fun enough before, now I have to worry about sudden stroke death.....FUCK!

Re:No, you were not!

Or another way of looking at it: The tools we have to define good health cannot be used to rule out the possibility of a stroke at any moment.

My uncle died of an aneurysm in his skull one night. He was in his late 20's and quite healthy. They still don't know why it formed.

It may be comforting to say things like "things like strokes do not happen overnight." It lets us sleep better. However, they do actually happen over night, and genuinely healthy people die all the time. By being healthy you reduce your chances of impending death, but you don't eliminate them.

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Stairways are indeed tough for hemiplegics.

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Haven't you heard?! Pachelbel's Canon [youtube.com] is the new Stairway to Heaven. If he can play THAT I'm sure there won't be any complaints.

Directly into the guitar

He should plug in through a "PS3 - Brain" adapter and use a Guitar Hero axe.

There are multiple advantages to that aproach if he ever wants to change to battery or bass, or loses his vocal cords, ...

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No, you just broke it in a different way.

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How did someone so YOUNG end up having a stoke?!?!?

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The drummer in Def Lepard has only got one arm

And boy, is his forehead sore. Cymbals are hard!