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Terminator-Like' Bionic Arm Makes British Amputee Feel 'Complete Again

Terminator-Like' Bionic Arm Makes British Amputee 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..."

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.

(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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