When avid gamer James Young lost his arm, he became despondent, but, thanks to Konami, he has now been outfitted inspired by the game Metal Gear Solid and boasting a dazzling array of futuristic features.

This arm project was led by prosthetic artist Sophie De Oliveria Brata, founder of the Alternative Limb Project. Another prosthetics company named Open Bionics took care of 3D-printing the hand.

Costing around $100,00 the carbon-fiber replacement limb moves in response to muscle signals, allowing him to lift and carry objects but also employ its screen, flashlight, USB phone-charging port and (best of all) deploy a battery-powered drone attached to its side. The prosthesis weighs about ten pounds and is supported by a harness strapped to his body.

“Once I had read a great line which stuck in my head on a website where a prosthetic user said ‘I want to take off my limb and leave it in a room, and people will recognise it and know that belongs to me. It reflects part of my personality’. I totally connected with that idea as a biologist, knowing that all parts of our bodies can be recognised as being ours by our unique DNA, so why not add a personal stamp to our artificial limbs.”

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It may only be a matter of time before people begin replacing body parts with bionic alternatives that do all of the same things and more, and in a ay it has already begun: these three patients had their limbs severed and prosthetics added to increase their functionality.

The individuals in this case all had nerve damage between the nerves of their spines and hands, resulting in mostly or entirely paralyzed limbs – with no potential for recovery, the choice to replace simply made the most sense.

These ‘bionic reconstruction’ surgeries were executed by Oskar Aszmann at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Grafted muscle relays translate signals from the patients’ brains to their artificial limbs. The new hands need to be powered to function properly and are recharged each night. These bionic enhancements are still not as capable as ordinary hands, but it may not be too long before they are. For now, they can perform simple but powerful tasks, like picking up and holding objects, pressing buttons and gripping surfaces.

Per NewScientist: “Before the operation, Aszmann’s patients had to prepare their bodies and brains. First he transplanted leg muscle into their arms to boost the signal from the remaining nerve fibres. Three months later, after the nerves had grown into the new muscle, the men started training their brains. First they practised activating the muscle using an armband of sensors that picked up on the electrical activity. Then they moved on to controlling a virtual arm. Finally, Aszmann amputated their hands, and replaced them with a standard prosthesis under the control of the muscle and sensors.”

The post Elective Amputations: 3 Men Trade Actual Hands for Bionics first appeared on Gajitz.