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Health

‘Terminator-Like’ Bionic Arm Makes British Amputee Feel ‘Complete Again’

Nov. 5, 2012 8:14pm Liz Klimas

Nigel Ackland ended up losing part of his arm six years ago due to an accident at work. Recently, he became one of seven people in a four-month trial to test a type of bionic arm that is considered one of the world’s most advanced.

He first was outfitted with a prosthetic that was simply cosmetic and upgraded to a few different, more complex prosthetics, but none compared to the bebionic 3 he’s wearing now.

British Man With bebionic 3 Hand Tackles Everyday Activities While American With Bionic Leg Climbs Willis Tower

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

The hand has 14 grips and motions, which let those wearing it dress themselves, peel vegetables, crack eggs, hold a glass of water and more.

Watch Ackland talk about how the arm and its different grips in this ProChan video (via Business Insider):

ProChan describes the arm as “Terminator-like” and made of carbon fiber with technology that responds to twitches in Ackland’s muscles to activate a response.

In this video by the company from earlier this year, Ackland says the hand makes him feel “complete again”:

“I’ve had four, four and a half years of effectively being one handed and now I’m trying to learn to get back to two handed,” Ackland said, noting that he’ll sometimes purposefully use his bebionic 2 hand (at the time it was the version 2) instead of his own hand for practice.

“It’s made me a lot happier,” he said.

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

The bebionic 3 launched in September with improved grip, accuracy and strength than the previous version.

“The new hand has been designed to help amputees to tackle real-life, everyday situations, and provides the perfect balance between advanced technology, functionality and aesthetics,” Paul Steeper, managing director of RSLSteeper products division, said in a statement.

In other high-tech prosthetics news, a man with a bionic, mind-controlled leg recently climbed all the stairs of a Chicago skyscraper.

Zac Vawter, 31, made it up the Willis Tower’s 103 stories — formerly the Sears Tower and currently the tallest U.S. skyscraper — in just over 53 minutes.

Zac Vawter stands on “The Ledge” of the Willis Tower in Chicago after walking up the stairs of the building Sunday. (Photo: AP/Chicago Sun-Times, Brian Jackson)

Watch this AP report of the climb:

Vawter, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident, put the smart limb on public display for the first time during an annual stair-climbing charity event called “SkyRise Chicago” hosted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he is receiving treatment.

“Everything went great,” said Vawter at the event’s end. “The prosthetic leg did its part, and I did my part.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Comments (30)

Poggle The Stick
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 6:27pm
George Lucas should be watching this.

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702TruthSeeker
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 3:05pm
http://www.usdebtclock.org

i hope you never have to pay for birth control or abortions. i hope you never lose your job working for gm. i hope you never have to rely on the government for retirement. i hope you never have to make a tough choice or live a hard life

i’d rather be free

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Gonzo
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 9:11am
“I’ll be back!”

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Texas42
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 1:01am
They didn’t build that!

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- bobsmallcraft
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 6:33am
  Technology is great, especially in the medical field, all brought to you by the American capitalist system. Read fresh political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
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- rickc34
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 8:55am
  When Obamacare kicks in you will see a decrease in advances like this.
  
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Calimann83
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 12:43am
That’s amazing. Controlled with twitches in his arm muscles? how do you even come up with something like that…

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grayling646
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 12:10am
If I ever meet him I’m gonna ask him to give me the finger and then I’m gonna buy him a beer.

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loneindividual
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 11:44pm
Some of the Elites are good (just stupid). Otherwise, most of this technology (partially DARPA developed) wouldn’t exist. In addition to the Declaration of Independence (which was written by Jefferson…a man involved with masonry, as well as Ben Franklin…who tinkered with things as he was a mason who described himself {and likely their core ideology} as an “Extreme Moderate”.

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Satrix
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 10:13pm
Did the socialized medicare system over in Britain pay for that arm? Not a criticism, just a question. And more importantly, why was the guy from Britain with the bionic arm drinking a Budweiser? With all those quality English ales and stouts, why would he waste his precious hand motions manipulating that low-rent beer?

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title_of_liberty
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 9:27pm
Technology can truly be miraculous and awe inspiring.

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Old_Warrior
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 9:08pm
Won’t be long before we actualy see a real Cylon. Just wait.

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formerlyFreedomOverFear
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:57pm
When will they invent a robotic brain for Obama?

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- Oneirishman
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 9:32pm
  Ah er uh and I just want ah um….present.
  
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formerlyFreedomOverFear
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:55pm
I wonder if these robotic companies have contacted John Bobbit(Lorena Bobbit’s ex-husband)?

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- Kupo
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 10:01pm
  Unnecessary. John Bobbitt successfully had his member reattached and even had a short-lived job as a porn star after being repaired.
  
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Bodacious_Boedi
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:52pm
Does it vibrate……for those “special” times?

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Ivehadenoughtofthisgovenmentcrap
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:48pm
That is so cool…. Now this is why God gave us a brain. To make things to help man kind out. Not to destroy each other….. that is so cool….

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- formerlyFreedomOverFear
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:53pm
  God gave us a brain so we could decide when it’s absolutely necessary to destroy another human being. Should we not have tried to eradicate Nazis off of the face of the Earth? I would never murder a human….unless I had to, and thank God and our founding fathers for the ability to defend myself and my family.
  
  P.S this story is truly inspiring I just had to excoriate this damn pacifist.
  
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- Oneirishman
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 9:37pm
  FFOVERFEAR
  Thx, I though I was on the HGTV website for a second there.
  
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:43pm
Awesome, yet if we do not rid ourselves of Obamacare under Romney, we will never see this come to America.

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- HumbleMan
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 9:31pm
  Directive 10-289 : Point Four. No new devices, inventions, products, or goods of any nature whatsoever, not now on the market, shall be produced, invented, manufactured or sold after the date of this directive. The Office of Patents and Copyrights is hereby suspended.
  
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IdahoBlaze
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:43pm
Awesome!!

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Zakk
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:36pm
Deus Ex : HR is becoming more and more of a reality.

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- 702TruthSeeker
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:50pm
  a conventional prosthetic can cost up to $15k, and they’ve been around for decades and they only last a few years. what is the point of spending a ton of money on research for something that most people with disabilities will never see? this is completely useless.. oh yeah, lets just tax the rich some more so that every amputee can have a million dollar piece of equipment that will make their life more convenient for a few months.. or maybe we can come up with a process where a room full of chinese 12 year olds can build it for under a million dollars each.. this country deserves EVERYTHING that is coming..
  
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- Oneirishman
  Posted on November 5, 2012 at 10:02pm
  702
  Seek therapy.
  
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- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 1:51pm
  702
  
  I still have my original prosthetic for my left arm. I only use it on Halloween since it can be scary looking. I have found that as technology and materials have improved and good maintenance is practiced, a prosthetic can last 5-8 years. I used to use a cosmetic prosthetic for formal ocassions. Now I just pin my suit coat sleeve up.
  
  I hope you never lose an arm or leg. A prosthetic does make life easier. BTW, yes the taxpayers, of which I am one, paid for all my prosthetics over the past 43 years.
  
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- 702TruthSeeker
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 3:10pm
  i donate a abunch of money to charities that help people get new prosthetics and to wounded warrior project. the government has no business “helping” everyone it thinks needs help, that’s my job as an individual. i do not want my money given to gm, or planned parenthood, or acorn, or a ton of other groups that think they need help
  
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tonypro
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:36pm
I have followed the progress of bionic limbs for a while now, and modern med. science has come so far. It is amazing.

Take a look at the “Emotiv EPOC” that is available to the public, and is helping paraplegics live a more normal life, it’s so awesome.

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Wdawg
Posted on November 5, 2012 at 8:22pm
That is pretty freaking cool!

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