Here's a Really Fancy Prosthetic Hand

In this brief tech demo, Nigel Ackland shows off his new prosthetic hand, the bebionic v3. It's frankly amazing -- here is an articulate, five-fingered hand, controlled via two muscle triggers near the elbow. Ackland lost his forearm six years ago in an accident at work; he now uses this prosthetic to do all sorts of things, including typing, cracking eggs, opening and pouring beer, you name it. Although it's not discussed in this video, the prosthetic can be concealed under a silicone glove, which reduces the Terminator vibe.

Best part? It has a special "mouse grip" setting. Yep, that index finger is poised to point and click. Now click on this!

Ackland also used the previous version of this hand, known as v2. Here's a video of him discussing the emotional effect of having an effective prosthetic, overlaid with slightly creepy marketing graphics (key terms like "happier" and "feels human" float over the video...):

(Via Laughing Squid.)