Teenager gets Skywalker Bionic Arm
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A student became the recipient of the most advanced prosthetic limb in the world, after losing his hand in a car accident.
It may sound like something from a Star Wars film, but 19-year old Even Reynolds from Haslemere in Surrey was managed to get his hand (singular) on the latest bionic technology this week.
The teenager was in a tragic traffic accident when his left hand was torn off. This week, Evan was fitted for his new state-of-the-art iLimb bionic hand, which allows him to function almost as naturally as before the accident.
Mr Reynolds, a sport biology student in Bristol at the UWE, was only the second Briton to be given the sophisticated iLimb hand, which shares no connection with the iPhone, nor looks anything like it.
He claims that adaption to the artificial limb, to which electronic muscle signals are sent from the remainder of the lost limb, took mere minutes.
The unit works much the same as a human hand, with five ‘fingers’ independently powered from each other, giving it the ability to close around objects.
Mr Reynolds had dreams to join the Army and attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, but had to relinquish these dreams after an accident in a car park with a friend left him without his left hand.
The car he was travelling in scraped a wooden post on the passenger side at the exit of the carpark, while his hand had been resting on the open window-ledge. The hand was torn off instantly.
The friend driving the car stopped the bleeding by utilising a compression bandage.
Mr Reynolds had this to say: “It was very nasty. It was amputated in a second. Obviously I couldn’t join the Army any more.”
Touch Bionics, a Scottish company, developed the i-LIMB, for which they won an award for its advanced technology. The limb, including the hand and fitting, cost £30,000.
Mr Reynolds heard about the i-LIMB from his brother, who saw a TV report about it, and consequently contacted Touch Bionics.
The device is so sensitive that Mr Reynolds can grip a bottle of water, hold a paper cup without squashing it and even swing a racket with his new hand.
The i-LIMB was named one of the Top 50 inventions of 2008.
Is it strong? Cos if you got in a fight, would just get broken off just like before?
Could you feel any side effect?