Absolute Gadget

It is possibly the ultimate gadget that no one would really want, but for Evan Reynolds it means a life of normality.

The Bristol student has what is possibly the world's most advanced bionic limb. Two years ago, Reynolds was involved in a car accident that saw his hand being ripped off.

Reynolds had originally planned to go into the army prior to the accident. and until he got his new limb, he felt self-conscious when faced with a barrage of questions about the accident. He even developed phantom limb, where the brain still believes an arm is still there.

It is this phenomenon that made it possible for Even to receive the new limb.

the iLimb is the world's first commercially available bionic limb and is made by Scottish firm Touch Bionics. The £10,000 artificial limb works like a normal arm, receiving messages from the brain.

After initial trials Reynolds is slowly getting used to the iLimb and is now able to perform simple tasks that other people take for granted.

"I put it on and within minutes I was using it as well as I can today," Mr Reynolds told PA.

"People always ask how it's changed my life, but there's no specific thing. It's the hundreds of everyday things you take for granted, which I can do again - like peeling a potato, catching a ball, holding a bottle of water."

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