Rower Eoghan (17) ready to race faster with new ‘rocket’ arm
A TEENAGE rower born without one hand could represent Ireland with a new prosthetic titanium arm made by a rocket scientist.
Eoghan Barry (17), of Lisheen, comes from the same Skibbereen rowing club as the famed O’Donovan brothers.
In the new RTE series Big Life Fix he shows as much grit and determination as the gold medal-winning Olympic heroes by rowing through the pain of a prosthetic with steelringed straps which leave deep bruises on his back.
Filmed over a year, a team of designers, engineers, computer programmers and technology experts are challenged to create inventions to transform people’s lives.
In Eoghan’s case, Dr David McKeown, who is designing Ireland’s first rocket, creates a complex prosthetic arm to help the west Cork teenager compete with the best.
“We’re training six days a week and seven times a week, I suppose I would like to represent Ireland. Everyone in rowing does want to do that,” said the teenager, who has already competed in the Irish Rowing Championships.
On camera, the young rower, who was born with his arm stopping just below the elbow, went through the prosthetics he employed over the years, starting with his first arm.
“When I started sweating it would just all slip off and I would go flying back. Then I started putting tape across it and it still came off,” he said.
The arm and strapping he used in recent years in training was effective but the metal rings left severe bruises on his back.
“It would hurt so much, you couldn’t physically go rowing because the strap touching it would make you wince,” he said.
In the documentary, Dr McKeown perfects a rowing arm and a system for Eoghan’s boat with the help of some of the best scientific brains in the country.
Using technology to allow the rower to use a wrist-motion to turn or what is called “feather” the oar with his prosthetic arm was key to the design. The old arm caused a drag through the water.
Eoghan’s mother, Ellen, said they “tried everything” to find a solution to help her rowing-mad son.
“I’ve emailed America, France, Spain, England to try and find one person similar to him. I would love to make his life a little bit easier.
“Everyone else glides through but he has to fight a bit harder.”
Of the arm the teenager had been using, Dr McKeown said: “The arm is a mixture between modern stuff, medieval strapping and iron kind of joints but it is amazing it has got him rowing.
“But it’s the next step for performance that really works in a proper way and makes it natural for him to row.”
The titanium arm he designed is made of the same material used in rockets and planes. “It’s 3D printed in titanium, we use it for space craft and planes when you need really high strength but not to weigh that much.
“Hopefully it will give you a lot more flexibility in how you can move, and it will be stronger and lighter. and won’t hurt you so much”, he told the young rower.
While Eoghan tested the arm his parents were overjoyed to see him feather the oar with the prosthetic for the first time. “Wow it’s amazing to see,” said Dr McKeown. ‘Big Life Fix’ is on RTE One on Wednesday at 9.35pm