A bionic hand that restores amputees' sense of touch is set to change the lives of thousands who have lost limbs, claim scientists. Two middle-aged men who lost their right hands in horrific accidents at work have revealed how the device has given them back their independence over the last two years. Keith Vonderhuevel, 51, from Ohio, is now able to pick up his grandchildren - and actually'feel' their hands for the first time. And Igor Spetic, 52, also from Ohio, has been filmed at home brushing his teeth, combing his hair, cutting eggs and tomatoes and drizzling mayonnaise. Named'Sensation', the bionic hand could revolutionise the treatment of maimed members of the Armed Forces, its developers claim.

WASHINGTON – A next-generation artificial hand is letting two amputees tell the difference between a soft or firm touch -- like holding a child without squeezing too tightly. It's another step toward developing prosthetics that can feel. Implanted electrodes allowed the men to feel the same intensity of pressure in the artificial hand as they could in their other hand, scientists at Case Western Reserve University reported Wednesday. To Keith Vonderhuevel, testing the experimental device meant finally cradling his 2-year-old granddaughter without first taking off his artificial hand for fear of hurting her. "Just to be able to touch and feel, it's an amazing thing," said Vonderhuevel, of Sidney, Ohio, who lost his right arm below the elbow 11 years ago in a job accident.