The bionic man fitted with a high-tech robotic hand yesterday showed off his latest upgrade which is so advanced he can now tie his shoelaces again.
Nigel Ackland from Royston, Cambridgeshire, has had his Terminator-like mechanical limb since last November, but it has now been upgraded to make it more sensitive.
And after a recent accident involving a runaway dog which left the 53-year-old missing several robot fingers, designers have also reinforced the limb with stainless steel and titanium.
It means the whole hand is stronger and the upgrade also included insulating pads stop it picking up heat or static electricity.
‘Since I was first given the hand they have developed it several times whenever someone who is trialling it notices a design flaw,’ Mr Ackland said.
‘I was walking the dog and he took off chasing something ripping the lead out of my hand – but unfortunately the fingers came off too.
‘So they added stainless steel into the links to make sure they were stronger and could with stand that kind of force again.
‘Its crazy I can now tie my shoe laces for the first time in years and play with playing cards. I’m developing my use of the hand more and more daily.
‘It really is a whole new quality of life.’
Right-handed Mr Ackland, a former smelter, who lives with his wife Vanessa, 50, and son Conor, 19, lost his arm when it became caught in an industrial blending machine at the Johnson Matthey smelting plant in 2006.
After six months of operations and infections he opted to have an elective trans-radial (below elbow) amputation.
But the severity of Mr Ackland’s injury meant the amputation wasn’t straightforward and left him with a flared stump and difficulty finding suitable prosthetics.
He was forced to take early retirement, but struggled to help at home became his dexterity was limited to the basic tasks he could perform with a replacement hook.
Scroll down to watch Nigel’s hand in action…
Precision control: Mr Ackland from Royston, Cambridgeshire, has had his Terminator-like mechanical limb since last November, but it has now been upgraded to make it more sensitive
Stronger: After a recent accident involving a runaway dog which left the 53-year-old missing several robot fingers, designers have also reinforced the limb with stainless steel and titanium
Then, in May last year, Leeds-based prosthetics company RSLSteeper approached the beleaguered amputee and asked if he would like to trial their latest hand – the most high-tech available in the world.
It has a lifelike appearance and grip patterns which can be wirelessly programmed and tailored to suit each individual’s requirements.
Mr Ackland operates the futuristic arm by sending the same signal from his brain he used to operate his original, human arm.
The thought flexes muscles in his upper arm, movements which are detected by sensors that trigger one of 14 pre-programmed grips, mirroring human movements.
The different patterns include a clenched fist, a pointed finger and a thumb and forefinger pincer motion that is lighter or heavier according to how the user tenses their upper arm.
Card sharp: Mr Ackland, a former smelter, lost his arm when it became caught in an industrial blending machine at the Johnson Matthey smelting plant in 2006
A video of Mr Ackland usin the hand has already notched up two million hits on YouTube.
HOW THE BIONIC ARM WORKS
Nigel Ackland’s bebionic3 myoelectric hand is the most high-tech prosthetic available anywhere in the world.
It is controlled by the same signals from the user’s brain that would have been used to operate his original, flesh and blood arm.
When the muscles in the upper arm are flexed by the thoughts, these movements are detected by sensors that trigger one of 14 pre-programmed grips, mirroring human movements.
The different grip patterns include a clenched fist, a pointed finger and a pinching motion, according to how the user tenses their upper arm.
Mr Ackland is one of just seven people in the world to be given the arm as part of a four-month trial, which it is hoped will see the electronic arm made publicly available.
The hand features a lifelike appearance and grip patterns which can be wirelessly programmed and tailored to suit each individual’s requirements.
To make it look as natural as possible the hand can be covered with a realistic silicone skin, available in 19 different shades, although Mr Ackland has not been given one for the trial.
‘Being a hit on YouTube is great – people need to learn about what is out there and if it helps someone I don’t mind being on the web,’ he said.
‘After the video was posted and the first press stories a man from Canada began emailing me and he is now trialling the arm out there.
‘Some people don’t understand is how alienating loosing a limb can be and how the negative associations we have with hooks.
‘When you think of fictional characters with a hook you have Captain Hook – well he’s basically a terrorist – with this device people see the future.
‘People will stop and say its like I-robot and the terminator, how they associate is half the battle with people understanding prosthetic limbs.
‘When you first lose a limb it can take a massive blow to your confidence.
‘People in the street don’t really know how to react to the fact that you have no arm and as a result you can be left feeling exceptionally withdrawn.
‘With the Terminator arm people will come up and ask you about it.
‘I no longer feel like someone people avoid because they don’t know what to say to me.
‘It would be great if when a person did lose an arm, they got an arm like straight away.’
Quality of life: While the hand has changed his life Mr Ackland says it still has limitations and the keen musician has not been able to start playing the piano and saxophone again
Mr Ackland is one of just seven people in the world to be given the arm as part of a six-month trial which it is hoped will eventually lead to the electronic arm being publicly available.
While the hand has changed his life Nigel says it still has limitations and the keen musician has not been able to start playing the piano and saxophone again.
He has now been invited to speak and show at the GF2045 science congress – the face of science in 2045 – in June in New York to encourage others to get on board with the limb.
