World’s first bionic arm driver critically injured in Austrian crash

An amputee thought to be the first person in the world to drive a car using a bionic arm was fighting for his life Thursday after crashing into a tree.

Christian Kandlbauer lost both limbs in an accident five years ago but was able to get behind the wheel thanks to a revolutionary “thought-controlled” robotic arm.

The 22-year-old amputee was found trapped inside his mangled Subaru Tuesday in Bad Waltersdorf, southeastern Austria. His car burst into flames but a passing truck driver was able to douse the blaze and call for help, Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported.

Kandlbauer was rushed to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition, Kleine Zeitung said. It was not clear whether or not the crash was caused by the bionic arm, which was fitted by medical technology firm Otto Bock Healthcare in what was hailed as the first operation of its kind in Europe.

The hi-tech limb was linked to nerves that once controlled Kandlbauer’s left arm through a groundbreaking process called targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), while his right was fitted with a regular prosthetic limb.

It meant he was able to resume his career as a mechanic and pass his driving test.

“I feel very happy,” he said in May during an interview with the British broadcaster BBC. “It is like my earlier arm — I feel that my arm is a part of my body.”

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