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First man to drive a car with ‘thought-powered arms’ dies after crashing into a tree

An Austrian man, recognized as the first in Europe to utilize a cutting-edge high-tech artificial arm, has died following a car accident in which the vehicle he was driving went off the road and collided with a tree.

In 2005, Christian Kandlbauer lost both of his arms due to an electrical accident, but he managed to lead a relatively normal life through the use of a mind-controlled robotic prosthetic for his left arm and a conventional prosthesis for his right arm.

On Thursday, at the age of 22, he passed away, confirmed Andreas Waltensdorfer, a senior physician at a hospital in Graz, southern Austria, where Kandlbauer had been treated in intensive care since Tuesday, the day the crash occurred.

The reason for the accident remains uncertain. Both Waltensdorfer and local law enforcement stated on Friday that it was not possible to determine whether issues with Kandlbauer’s prosthetic arms contributed to the incident.

Kandlbauer, who had been driving himself to work each morning after obtaining his driver’s license a year prior, mentioned that his quality of life had significantly improved due to the mind-controlled prosthesis, which reacted to signals from his brain and moved accordingly.

‘With the mind-controlled prosthesis, I’m almost as self-sufficient and independent as I was prior to my accident,’ Kandlbauer expressed in remarks on the Otto Bock HealthCare Products GmbH website, the manufacturer of the prosthesis. ‘I can effectively lead the life I had before the accident.’

To enable the functionality of the prosthesis, four of Kandlbauer’s nerves were redirected to his left chest muscles, as stated by expert Hubert Egger on the website.

Kandlbauer had modified his Subaru Impreza with specialized equipment that included a custom emergency brake and a button designed to control functions such as the horn, turn signals, and windshield wipers. This modification received approval from local transportation authorities.

On his personal website, Kandlbauer shared that every night he would remove both artificial arms to recharge them like cell phones. He also noted that obtaining a driver’s license was among his key objectives.

Visitors to his site are currently expressing their condolences.

Notburga Halbauer, a spokesperson for Otto Bock HealthCare Products GmbH, stated that Kandlbauer was the first individual outside of the United States to wear the mind-controlled prosthesis.

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