SWNS

Fifty-year-old Brit Trevor Prideaux is an ordinary man with an extraordinary idea that could make it easier for others who are missing limbs to use smartphones--embed a phone dock right into your prosthetic.

It's worked for him.

The catering manager from Somerset, England, who was born without a left forearm, came up with the idea to integrate a smartphone into his prosthetic after using an iPhone.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Prideaux admits "...it became clear that this piece of technology was not ideally suited to be used with only one hand. When testing an iPhone, with the thoughts of purchase, I had to balance it on my prosthetic limb to text."

Prideaux thought he could embed the iPhone in his prosthetic so that he can hold his arm up to his ear for calls or hit the speakerphone button more easily. The Telegraph notes that he contacted Apple for "blank iPhone casing" during development, but discussions with the company fizzled.

With determination to realize his vision, Prideaux paid a visit to an O2 phone store and shared his idea. He eventually made contact with Nokia and the Exeter Mobility Centre, a disability service organization in his area that helped accelerate production of the arm.

The phone that now lives in his prosthetic arm phone ended up being a Nokia C7. "This phone is slightly narrower than an iPhone and has both a QWERTY and alphanumeric board, which is easier for me to use," Prideaux told The Telegraph.

UK tabloid The Sun notes the creators include prosthethist Steve Gallichan, technician Les Street, and undergraduate worker Sarah Bennett. The team worked together on the laminated fiberglass prototype for five weeks.

It is safe to assume we have only seen the beginning of such advancements. Will Apple sell an iArm accessory in 2019, or did Nokia beat them to the punch?