A 33-year-old amputee has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with a bionic hand, after losing his arm in a train accident.

Known as the ‘myo-electric bebionic3’, the arm uses some of the most advanced medical technology to operate. It consists of two electrodes in a socket, with one connected to his bicep and the other linked to his tricep.

Electronic impulses from the muscles and nerve endings create a current, which triggers the movement in the hand. If the user tenses his bicep, the hand closes and if he tenses his tricep, it opens, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

Mike Swainger, who lost his right arm and leg aged 13 when he was hit by a train while playing with friends, said that his new battery-powered hand has revolutionised his life.

“It has changed my life immeasurably,” Swainger said.

“Having a bionic hand that actually works like a real hand is such a confidence booster. It encourages you to take on different tasks and is a great ice breaker. I’ve heard little kids in the street saying ‘Look, it’s a robot’,” he said.

Swainger said that the most uplifting feeling was being able, for the first time, to walk hand-in-hand with his six-year-old daughter, Jodie.

He learnt about the bionic arm after carrying out research on the subject and approached the manufacturer, RSLSteeper, offering to be a test case for the firm.

Swainger was told the technology was in the very early stages of development and was more often used abroad or in the private sector, rather than the National Health Service (NHS).

After undergoing checks to test the signals in his arm, six months ago, Swainger was told he was to be the first person in the UK to be fitted with the hand.

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