My name is Pierre, I’m a 22-year-old from Nantes (France), passionate about sports and the very first user of the ORTHOPUS Supporter.
Since October 2021, I’ve been equipped with the ORTHOPUS Supporter and I use it almost every day, both for my studies and at home. I move around with it without any problems for my activities outside. I recommend it to as many people as possible because it’s a device that brings a true feeling of freedom: I’m more in control of my movements, and I feel more fluidity.
The activities I do with the ORTHOPUS Supporter are varied. Sometimes it’s very simple but truly useful things like adjusting my glasses, scratching my head or face, or reaching for objects placed high up.
While playing board games like Tetris Link, I noticed an improvement in the precision and agility of my fingers. For example, when I use my computer mouse or the joystick of my wheelchair. I also discovered new movements, such as being able to read on my own. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do, because I didn’t have the strength to hold my arm horizontally while holding a magazine or a book.
Beyond the new daily habits I’ve discovered with the ORTHOPUS Supporter, I think what matters most to me is that it becomes a real support at times of the day when my arm has less strength due to fatigue or a dip in energy.
In the end, this device allows me to discover new practices and habits I once thought were out of reach, and it gives me a new perspective on my disability. A greater freedom in my range of movements opens up to me and enhances my independence as a person with a disability.
Testing the first prototype in 2020
I met the ORTHOPUS team at ESEAN-APF France Handicap (Paediatric care and rehabilitation hospital) in 2020, when they started testing their very first prototype. Dr. Guy Letellier connected me with them because my arm mobility is limited. I can’t hold my arm up for several minutes, whether for static or moving efforts, so I was directly concerned by the device they wanted to develop.
I contributed to the development of the arm support by taking part in several testing sessions and sharing my feedback on technical aspects such as the wheelchair attachment, the comfort of the orthosis, and even the choice of control buttons. This way, I witnessed the progress from one version to the next, all the way to the one everyone knows today!
October 2020
Prototype testing at the ESEAN
December 2020
Prototype testing at the ESEAN
April 2021
Home testing of the prototype
January 2023
Installation of the final version
Living my passion for sport thanks to my arm support
Sports have always made me feel alive. I feel like I live through the athletes, sensing their emotions after the effort, and I completely forget about my disability.
In 2020, when I was asked what design I wanted for the ORTHOPUS arm support prototype, I pointed to the letter F and my family understood instantly: I wanted an FC Nantes customization, my favorite football club. The following year, I had the opportunity to attend a training session at the Jonelière Sports Center and greet the players with my ORTHOPUS Supporter in the club’s colors.
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The adventure with ORTHOPUS gave me another unforgettable moment. On July 23, 2024, just steps away from the Château de Versailles, I carried the Olympic flame for the Paris Games. I was piloting the ORTHOPUS Supporter through the Inclusive Brains headset.
It was an incredible, moving, magnificent experience— a dream come true! I felt a huge wave of emotion, and hearing my name recognized by the whole crowd was truly heartwarming.
Spécialisée dans la culture scientifique et technique depuis dix ans, Mona a une expérience au croisement de l’économie sociale et solidaire, de la fabrication numérique et du monde des fablabs. Ses compétences vont de la communication transmedia, à l’animation de communautés en passant par l’événementiel. Chez ORTHOPUS, elle met en œuvre et anime la stratégie communication et marketing.