Chinese Quadriplegic Runs Farm With Just One Finger

Chongqing (China) (AFP) – Quadriplegic and bedridden in a prefabricated home, 36-year-old Li Xia can only move one finger and one toe -- yet he runs a high-tech farm in southwestern China using sensors, cameras and a computer.

Li, who suffers from a genetic degenerative condition that progressively weakens muscles, relies on a ventilator permanently connected to his windpipe to breathe, but grows celery with the help of his 62-year-old mother.

From his bed, he operates four greenhouses that lie 10 metres (33 feet) away via a programme he created and a computer screen hanging above him on an adjustable arm.

"Through this microcomputer and the programme I developed, and a mobile app, I can monitor various data points from the farm, such as temperature, humidity, nutrient solution concentration, and pH levels," Li told AFP.

"With the cameras, I can see if the water pump is working or if the fans are running."

With the one finger he is able to move, he controls the on-screen cursor using a trackball.

"To click, I use a flex sensor attached to my toe," said Li from his home in Shiping village, near the southwestern city of Chongqing.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which he suffers from, is an incurable genetic disease that affects almost exclusively males, at a rate of one in 5,000 births.

Over the years, it causes muscles to weaken, increasing the risk of falls, before paralysis sets in, affecting cardiac activity and breathing.

Until the early 2000s, boys with the condition rarely lived beyond their teens. But with comprehensive care, survival into the 30s and even 40s is possible.

Li, who was once able to get around in a wheelchair, experienced a sudden medical crisis in 2020 when he was 30 years old. He fell into a coma, became incontinent and quadriplegic.

"I was devastated," he said.

"But after a few months, I pulled myself together and looked for things that made sense."