The Given Limb Foundation

Prosthetic Device Design, particularly in the field of upper-limb amputations, is an invaluable aspect of our work. Learn how the Given Limb Foundation helped this Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran, Brian Dyone regain his ability to live his passion: rock climbing.

28-year old, Brian S. Doyne spent over 10 years in the Army; first as a light Infantryman and then as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. On February 24, 2005, Brian was performing Counter Improvised Explosive Device operations in the vicinity of Samarra, Iraq when two IEDs detonated less than 10 meters away from him, causing extensive injuries including the traumatic amputation of his left arm below the elbow.

The extent of his injuries has had a serious impact on his life and his ability to do the things he enjoys, particularly rock climbing. Brian climbs at a near professional level and desired an attachment to his arm prosthetic that was specific to rock climbing.

The Given Limb Foundation connected Brian with the Devices for People with Disabilities biomedical engineering class at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. Brian visited with four of the class engineers one weekend to demonstrate how his existing device worked on the Duke rock-climbing wall. The students then spent the semester developing a new prosthetic arm terminal device that had a better range of motion and stronger grip.

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