Being born without a left forearm hasn’t held former pageant queen Nicole Kelly back – and she’s now showing off all the things she can do with the help of a robotic arm.
The 27-year-old won the title of Miss Iowa in 2013 and was a contestant at the 2014 Miss American Pageant, becoming one of the only few competitors to have ever competed with a physical disability, according to her website.
Now an ambassador for CoApt – which custom-made her prosthetic – Nicole is showing her social media followers the skills she has relearned with the help of her robotic appendage.
Getting a grip: Nicole Kelly has uploaded a new video in which she demonstrates using her robotic arm
Big gig: The 27-year-old is an ambassador for CoApt, which made her hand
Tasks at hand: In a new video, she show how she squeezes toothpaste, cuts onions, and opens bottles
Nicole’s arm uses sensors that work with her muscles, which allows her to control the arm by thinking about what she wants to do, according to Today.com.
She has also made it her mission to advocate for those living with a disability and to educate as many people as possible about those living with a physical difference.
For Nicole, that starts with showing people what her life is like with her bionic arm and demonstrating how she had to relearn simple tasks, such as cutting an onion and using a bottle opener.
In a video posted to her YouTube page, the beauty queen can be seen attempting a number of ordinary household tasks as she tries to get accustomed to her bionic arm.
Science rocks! Nicole shared a photo on Instagram with the caption: ‘#science I had two right hands today #coapt #casual friday’
Techonology! She was born without a hand but recently had a robotic one made for her
Impressive: Nicole’s arm uses sensors that work with her muscles, which allows her to control the arm by thinking about what she wants to do
Practice makes perfect: She has had to relearn how to do a lot of things with her prosthetic
In the first scene, Nicole tries to open a bottle of juice by twisting the cap off. She has some trouble and the bottle falls to the floor – but fortunately, the disabilities advocate has a great attitude about the failed attempt and laughs it off.
Next, Nicole has a bottle opener and strives to open a cold brew coffee while using her right had to steady the bottle and her bionic arm to use the opener.
She can’t seem to grip the bottle opener properly, and it falls out of her hand but again. Still, Nicole is all smiles and appears joyful as she laughs at herself over the dropped utensil.
In another clip, she successfully cuts an onion, holding it still with her hand and using her bionic one to push the knife down.
She also brushes her teeth, holding her toothbrush in her right hand and using her bionic hand to squeeze the toothpaste.
Be bionic: Nicole struck the Charles Angles pose with her bionic arm from CoApt
‘My life has change like crazy’: With the addition of her new arm, Nicole’s life has been altered
Amazing things: She says ‘science rules’ and ‘the future is now’
Beauyt queen: Nicole won Miss Iowa in 2013 and competed in Miss America the following year
She grinds fresh pepper, too, and signs off by reminding her followers that ‘science rules’ and ‘the future is now’.
‘My life has changed like crazy’, she wrote. But challenges don’t seem to faze Nicole one bit as he smiles and points to the camera with her bionic finger.
After winning the Miss Iowa pageant, Nicole said that she saw she could make a change ‘by showing these parents that their child can and should be able to do anything they want’.
‘Once parents accept this, it makes such a huge difference to how their child experiences and responds to their difference,’ she said. ‘I encourage people to share their stories about how they’ve felt different and celebrate it.’