Aidan, who’s from Claymont, also attended regular appointments at UD’s Physical Therapy Clinic, where he worked on leg and back issues. But that “Cadillac” has made a measurable difference in his quality of life.

“It’s an absolute game-changer. I wouldn’t be able to get around by myself without it,” Aidan Bradley said. “As it learns your gait, the technology helps you out as best it can by giving you resistance instead of just letting you fall over out of nowhere. If you misstep, it will kick in and stop you from falling over.”

As a double amputee, with his right arm removed from the shoulder, cases like Aidan’s are rarely seen, and when seen, they’re often in veterans returning from combat. 

Now, Independence PO is helping Aidan get outfitted with a bionic arm that uses advanced pattern recognition technology developed by the Chicago-based company, Coapt. 

“Coapt makes a system of control for upper limb bionic components—elbows, wrists, and hands,” said Shawn Robinson, regional manager for East Coast Coapt. “We’re a company that doesn’t make those things that move. Rather, what we make is a system that's an add-on kit, a smart upgrade for those components.”

“Getting the leg has been life-changing, just being able to get back up on my feet,” Aidan Bradley said. “I imagine an arm would be more of the same.”

The system acts as the brain of the prosthesis. 

“It can actually read the intuitive signals that come from your body and acts as an input for a prosthesis so the user can just think of a movement – hand open, hand close, elbow up, elbow down, wrist up, wrist down – and we can directly tell the prosthesis to go right into that intuitive movement,” Robinson said.

At Aidan’s fitting, he was outfitted with sensors all over his arm so that his new bionic arm could be calibrated to recognize his movements and associate them with specific tasks. 

“Electricity comes from every muscle. When you look at that electricity all together, what you get are distinct atoms that form--patterns of data and information that we can show to our machine-learning algorithms and teach it how to do the intuitive movement that Aidan’s trying to make,” Robinson said. 

“When Aidan’s thinking about it, he's acting as though he's doing it and it's able to respond. It's really cool,” said John Horne, president of Independence PO.

Aidan is believed to be among the first in Delaware and the region to pioneer the advanced technology. 

“He's a younger guy. Sometimes, gamers can pick up faster on the technology,” Horne said. “You must be able to manage the technology, so there are some patients that maybe aren't going to be as adept. Even though they could benefit from the same technology, they might just not be able to make it work like he can.” 

But 66-year-old Joe Costello is determined to make it work. Costello, another patient at Independence PO, was outfitted with the bionic arm earlier this year following a motorcycle crash in May of 2021. He broke several ribs, and his leg was badly hurt. 

“They didn’t know if I’d walk again. But an old Irishman doesn’t give up,” Costello said.

He also suffered septic poisoning that led to the loss of his arm, and ultimately, his desire to have two hands again. 

“I’m still learning how to teach and use the bionic arm. Once I get it down and get it to operate, it will be life changing. I’ll have two hands again,” Costello said.

The bionic arm aims to alter quality of life, dramatically, restoring everyday functions like typing and holding a cup of coffee.

“Right now, even just making a peanut butter sandwich is a challenge. You don’t realize how much you do with two hands until you only have one,” Costello said.

Costello is most looking forward to getting back to playing guitar and working on cars.

“And picking up my grandkids. My granddaughters think it’s the neatest thing: ‘Poppop has a robot arm,’” Costello said with a laugh.

But being among the first to use new technology comes with hardship. For Costello, it’s time-consuming to get the bionic arm to work efficiently. Aidan used a demo-version of the bionic right arm and hand for several weeks, but because he’s always been left-handed, he adapted quickly to just using his dominant hand. Learning how to make the new technology work for him in a way that enhances his life has been an adjustment. 

Horne likened the pattern control technology to driving a car.

“You drive your car, you’re comfortable, you don’t have to think about it. But if you get into somebody’s else’s car, you must think a little extra. Pattern control is like driving your own car all the time versus getting in a different car every day and having to keep thinking about what you're doing,” said Horne. 

Those with limb loss on the upper portion of their body can also easily suffer from fatigue. This system aims to alleviate that exhaustion that can hinder overall progress.

“You constantly have to think, each time, ‘I want to bend my elbow; I want to open the hand; I want to turn the wrist,’ and the pattern control eliminates some of that mental fatigue,” Horne said. “Joe and Aidan are putting feedback into the device through muscle activity. They’re only thinking one time about what they want to do, and then it's able to do it without them having to think three times.

“This is definitely the way of the future, comparatively, to what the alternative has been. And without knowing about power and control, you thought the alternative was great, but it's from 1950s technology.”  

But all the technology in the world can’t replace Aidan’s positive mindset. That’s what’s gotten him this far.  

“He’s determined,” Horne said. “It's between his ears too. He’s made up his mind that he’s not going to sit around and feel sorry for himself. He's been very positive.”

Aidan graduated this past spring from UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics with a bachelor of science in finance. He’s now working as a Client Service Associate at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

“It’s been incredible to see his progress from the worst night of our lives to the best night. We’re excited to see him live a normal life. We can’t wait to see what the future brings,” Aidan’s father said through tears. “He’s an inspiration.”

It’s been just over one year since the accident, and Aidan is now living independently.  

“I feel good,” Aidan Bradley said. “It’s shocking how fast I was able to bounce back to a normal life. If you start to feel sorry for yourself, you’ll get stuck in a rut. I was determined to not let anything hold me back and just was always ready to do what I had to do to move forward.”