NEWS: Amputee Patrick demonstrates his new bionic Hand

Last year, Patrick, a 24-year-old Austrian, decided to have his dysfunctional hand amputated and replaced with a bionic hand. He lost the use of his left hand after being electrocuted at work.

Here he demonstrates the extra movement his new bionic hand has given him, opening a bottle and tying his shoelaces, and tests a prototype hand which will give him additional wrist movement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13378036

We're a couple of thousand dollars closer to the Bionic Man. I'm quite impressed with the technology and the young man seems to do it all without effort.

WOW thats awesome! its like that new leg - it makes people able to use fx a bicycle again! It's amazing how technolegies evolve!

Very nice. This is really some good progress.

With tech advances such as these, it becomes much easier to bear with dramatic physical changes.

It's already happening!!! :screams and runs away from the computer screen:

On a less overexagerative side, I have to say that's pretty cool. I didn't even know they made those. It will definitely come in handy to anyone with appendage dissabilities, and maybe someday they'll find ways to make it seem like it's a regular hand.

However, I wouldn't want any sort of robotic technology implanted on (or in) me unless I deem it nessicary (for example, my arm falls off).

He's Luke Skywalker!


...okay that's a bit mean. sorry but very neat!

It's actually quiet scarry, but that kid controlls his arm by use of brain activity - idk if he has to focus in any way, or if it is his actual nerve signals in his arm, that's been made into an arm - and if that's the case, we are much further in synthetic nerve-systems then I'd ever have imagined, that's quiet amazing! On the other hand this is bad - seriously bad. When the military finds out, they kan make war machines controlled by the human brain, things are gonna go wrong - very wrong

woit

It could probably use a bit of work I mean it seems kind of (I don't know how to word it) bulky and without full range of motion.

But I'm definitely sure that for someone who is missing a hand or lost mobility in it this would be by far the best gift they'd ever get.

It's brilliant there are technologies like this around. Its also slightly daunting at what improving these could do, if taken in the wrong direction.

There's that japaneese guy who invented a whole suit like this, that moved with your body so you were basicly putting no effort into it. He said you could climb mountains in it and not be too worn out. He wanted it to be for medical purposes, like helping paralysed people with therapy and of course amputees and so on but his biggest worry is that the military will want the designs.

Theres also that wheelchair that wires into your brain impulses, it was on James May's invention programme (forget its name) It was really hard to control, but the inventor said if he can fix that itd do wonders for lots of people who can't use normal wheelchairs.

Its remarkable how far medical technology has come these days. One days it is likely that amputees will be able to get bionic body parts, that will both function and probably look exactly like the real thing.