Raleigh man gets bionic hand

Surgery couldn't save Jamison's hand, so Frank Loverso, co-owner of Limbionics of Raleigh, went to see him.

"When I met Frank, I didn't even want to look at a prosthetic," Jamison, 49, said recently.

In time, his outlook changed.

A claw prosthesis he has been using is an attachment controlled by his forearm muscles and can be used for certain tasks.

"Working a broom handle or a rake or hoe or something, because I Iike working in the yard," Jamison said.

Recently, however, he went to Limbionics to be fitted for a Bebonic 3, a state-of-the-art myoelectric hand.

"It's the closest to a bionic hand that we can get," Loverso said, noting that there are fewer than 10 now in use in the Triangle.

The prosthetic includes sensors that respond to electric impulses in the muscles. A Bluetooth controller can change "modes" in the hand to accomplish various tasks, from having a firm grip to picking up a sheet of paper.

"He's doing an incredible job for someone who's just getting their trial fitting or delivery," Loverso said.

Jamison knows it will never feel like his former hand, but he is thankful to get as close to that natural function as technology will allow.

"I want to operate a motorcycle, I want to operate a chain saw and I will be able to do those things," he said.

Jamison also is heading back to work at the same manufacturing plant, this time as a plant safety officer.