The Alfred Mann Foundation has given a retired staff sergeant a new opportunity to live a normal life.
Imagine a world where people who lose a foot or a leg can find the full range of motion that they thought they’d lost. That future is here, and it’s closer than ever before to becoming reality for millions of patients around the world.
The story of this amazing new technology begins with the Alfred Mann Foundation. Founded in 1985 by Alfred E. Mann, the Foundation was dedicated to the idea that bionics could enhance patient lifestyles. Mann had experience developing prosthetics for the ears, eyes and brain. He’d built companies, managed multi-million dollar enterprises, and participated in the science of biometrics well before our current focus.
His Foundation works to find people in need, like retired Staff Sergeant James Sides. Sides was serving his second tour in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated in the road as he was attempting to disarm it. Sides was thrown from his position, his hand torn from his arm, and he was blinded from one eye. The tragic accident severely limited Sides’ ability to perform basic tasks.
When the Alfred Mann Foundation found Sides, they implanted a sensor within his forearm that could read his muscle movements and translate those motions into finger and thumb movements. With this device, Sides can effortlessly do most tasks you and I take for granted. Steve Doctrow, Executive Vice President of Rogers & Cowan, is helping to promote the amazing use for this new device.
The Alfred Mann Foundation hopes that this test will help provide data they can use to roll these devices out to a wider group. Beyond the military, prosthetics can change the lives of many people suffering from debilitating handicaps.
