The Bionic Boy

Evan Reynolds was just 16, when he lost his arm in a freak accident. Last year, the teenager became one of the first people in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm - one that he can control with his mind.

In 2006, Evan was in the passenger seat of a friend's car, sitting with his hand folded out of a rolled-down window. As the car was exiting a parking lot, it scrapped a wooden post, and in a bizarre accident, pulled his arm right off.

His dreams of joining the army shattered, Evan had learned to cope with a single arm, until his brother read about an exciting new invention known as an i-LIMB hand, that was being developed and tested by Scottish firm, Touch Bionics.

The i-LIMB hand, which costs about $50,000USD, is fitted with electrodes that sit on the surface of the skin of the remaining part of the arm, picking up electric signals that emanate from it. Five independently powered digits that operate like a hand, allow the user to get firm control over objects, big and small. Also, unlike previous prosthetic hands, each finger can be removed separately and sent in for servicing or repair if needed. To read more go to www.touchbionics.com

Evan says his new arm took just a few minutes to get used to. While his life hasn't changed in any drastic way, it is the small things he can do once again, that make all the difference - like peeling a potato or holding a bottle of water - stuff that we take for granted every day.

Source: telegraph.co.uk, itouch.com