Feature: Technology changes Nigel Ackland's life

Nigel Ackland admits that when he lost his arm in an industrial accident in 2006, it nearly killed him, not just because of the physical handicap he suffered, but also because of people's reaction when they shied away from him or averted their gaze.

He said it made him feel "invisible," and although he understands it's a natural reaction for people who don't know how to deal with disability, the stigma was a lot to overcome.

However, Ackland's life changed drastically when he was asked to try using a bebionic hand made partly of carbon fiber.

"I just got a call out of the blue," he told Xinhua. "This company, RSL Steeper had a new hand and asked if I would help with the trial. And that was it ... It was purely by chance."

But he admits that once he tried on the arm, something changed.

"I cried ... I powered up (the arm), shook hands and I cried. I hadn't shaken hands for five years," he said, adding that his reaction is similar to that of nearly everyone who tries the arm for the first time. "It's just such a shift in your life ... It's totally life changing."

On Friday, Ackland attended the Singularity Summit, an artificial intelligence conference in the Spanish city of Seville, to talk about his experience with his prosthetic hand.

He also attended an event organized by Singularity University from Silicon Valley in the United States, where experts in a range of fields are putting forward techniques and technology which they hope will benefit the lives of people needing prosthetics.

"It is worth remembering there are 30 million people around the world who don't have any access to prosthetics. That's the population of Florida and that is too many people," said.

But like so many speakers at the summit, Ackland is prepared to look "outside the box." He believes that the technology has now reached a point where people who need a replacement arm or leg have much more freedom than in the past.

"It has been always function over form," he said, explaining that in the past it didn't matter how an artificial limb looked as long as it did the job.

"Now the technology is allowing form and function to come together. You will see people wear more realistic limbs and some wear more robotic limbs. We are now in a situation where you can say 'I'd like a purple leg,' or like supermodel Victoria Modesta 'I'd like 2,000 Swarovski crystals in my leg.' People will do this and the technology is allowing it," he said.

Ackland's own experience backs that up. "The reaction I used to get from people was that they would take a step back, now I get the opposite," he said. Endit