Government invests £6.5m in latest prosthetic limbs

Micro-processor limbs ‘provide better stability and improved mobility’, say doctors British military personnel, who have had their legs amputated, are set to be given the most advanced prosthetic limbs, according to new government scheme costing £6.5m .The micro-processor limbs, known as "bionic legs", will be available to service personnel who have been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, with claims the limbs will offer them greater stability and mobility.
The move is expected to benefit up to 160 members of the armed forces.
British Chancellor George Osborne, who is making the money available from the Treasury's special reserve, said: "Our troops are heroes who have and continue to give absolutely everything for their country and it is only right that we do everything possible to help them, especially when they suffer injury.
“I am delighted, therefore, that we have been able to make funding available for this cutting-edge prosthetic technology, which will go a long way to improving the lives of people who have done so much for the UK,” he added.
Experts say the “bionic legs”- used by renowned Paralympians - will significantly improve the quality of life and speed of rehabilitation for amputees.
The new technology provides better stability and greater mobility, as well as improvements in the ability to step over obstacles, negotiate stairs and walk backwards safely.
Paralympic rower Captain Nick Beighton, who lost both legs in an explosion during a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2009, welcomed latest announcement as a "big step up in technology".
"To have the opportunity to try it and to use it and get the latest technology is fabulous for us because it just gives us that freedom to get out and do more things and have greater functionality and more independence," he told the BBC.