✳   01.05.1920      †   26.04.2016

The present Web Page tells about the courageous Russian man - designer of unique prostheses Grigori Trofimovitch Rudenko. In 1917 his family with 16 children has moved from Dnepr steppes for land-declamation in Siberia. In youth Rudenko worked as an expert in Altai selection station. By the beginning of the II World War he was direct with Siberian divisions to Moscow front. During the War battles near Mozaisk, Stalingrad and Kursk he was some times wounded. He was awarded for bravery and courage with the Red Star, Patriotic War honors and medals. At the end of the War he was in command of a tank platoon. During the Köningsberg battle in 1945 Rudenko was heavy wounded and both his arms were amputated up above and below a elbow joint. After rehabilitation he began to live in Moscow. The Second World War left our country a lot disabled, including G.T. Rudenko. After the War he married, and for them two sons and daughter were born. Now they have 5 grandsons.

Rudenko had no special education, nevertheless he has decided to construct and to make an artificial hand, such, with what to him was necessary. Long-lived time worked Rudenko above the invention. The son and daughter made delineations according his calculations; the friends built experimental models and produced components in workshops. He has achieved an amazing success soon and has constructed a unique artificial hand with a mechanical-tractive control system. Breast belt with holdfasts transmits effort of back muscles to a mechanical hand. With such prosthesis it is possible to write, to use a knife and fork, to play in tennis and the piano, to made delicate operations and to transfer heavy, up to 40 kg, burden, therefore to live by normal, rigorous life. The matter is that it was important to stir up living muscles in order to avoid their atrophy, which can affect rather negatively on organism status. In that time USSR has not money to register the Rudenko invention abroad, so in 1979 the precise copy of the artificial hand was patented in Japan and began to be considered as the Japanese invention.
Undoubtedly, G. Rudenko would like to help all people, which have appeared in the same trouble. Such prosthesis is vitally necessary to the II World War, Afghanistan and Chechen wars veterans-amputees. However, it was required 10 years to produce only 40 - 50 artificial hands per one year. At the last years due to economic reorganization in Russia the economic situation became more complex, and the government cannot supply the invalids even minimum with neither free of charge nor inexpensive prostheses. It is a season that Rudenko with help of his family in one-room apartment try to make somewhat prostheses, frequently using his small veteran pension. In addition, in 1999 his wife has died...
Hi is over 90 years, however, hand-master continues to develop the women and children hand prostheses, which construction should be determined by dimensions of their palm, and also specificity of their anatomy. Rudenko has a lot of ideas and theoretical developments in this direction, but on their realization there are no resorts. Besides to time, tempered to him for life on this world, remains not so much. Despite of difficulties, callousness and indifference of bureaucracy, the hand-master has maintained his heart, has helped to amputees to overcome estrangement, giving an example of courage, unselfishness and magnanimity. It is the Russian reporter V. Panov, Sci.Dr. V. Krinichnyi and many many others. Rudenko enjoyed playing chess. It was described, e.g., in the book A.V. Kiknadze, Merano Distance and Near, Moscow, Moscow Worker, 1983. The World Ex-Champion on a chess A. Karpov has sent to him from a world chess championship in Merano the above card with an inscription «To the courageous man and good chess player G.T. Rudenko heartily. A. Karpov» (at left). It would be desirable nevertheless to trust in best.

Unfortunately, Grigory Trofimovich Rudenko, the legend of prosthetic limbs, has died in April 26, 2016.