Maxim Yemets is one of the few, if not the only musician who plays guitar using a prosthetic. This past weekend, the capital of the Urals welcomed Moscow-based musician Maxim Yemets, who plays guitar with the help of a bionic prosthetic. Maxim has been involved in music since childhood: guitar, piano, and he even had his own band that included a radiologist. Later, he enrolled in the chemistry department of the pedagogical university in Kirov. “I actually wanted to pursue a career in music, but my parents insisted on getting a higher education.” Exact sciences always came easily to him, so he chose this field without much hesitation. Once, during his second year, he was conducting an experiment when a mortar exploded in his hands. He was hospitalized and had skin grafts. “I didn’t fully understand what had happened or how many fingers I had left.” After being discharged, he still played – with the fingers he had. On a guitar, you can even play chords with just one finger. But one day, an employee of a music store handed him the business card of a company specializing in cyber prosthetics. Bionic prosthetics are entirely different: they look stylish and are functional. Maxim agreed to wear one model, initially just to showcase it in action on social media. Later, he began collaborating with the company that produces them. Mostly, he helped people prepare the necessary documents to receive a prosthetic. Then he started training users on how to set them up and wear them properly. “I’ll be honest, it’s not as comfortable with the prosthetic.” But when he performed at concerts, the audience felt pity for him. “They saw a person overcoming some kind of trauma.” With the prosthetic, that effect vanished. “People see an artist with something modern and cool on his arm, and they no longer feel pity.”