Mind-controlled limb for soldier
A soldier who had his arm blown off by a grenade in Afghanistan has become the first person in the UK to receive a mind-controlled prosthetic limb.
The revolutionary surgery, which involved rewiring the nerve system, has been hailed as the future of prosthetic recovery.
Defence Minister Anna Soubry, who met Corporal Andrew Garthwaite yesterday, said: “It is the stuff of almost science fiction coming to reality.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCpl Garthwaite, 26, from South Shields, lost his arm when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in Helmand in 2010.
He said: “When I first got told about the operation I thought it was some sort of fairy tale. But here I am today with this arm that is fitted and works off my mind. It’s unbelievable.”