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BURNABY, B.C. • Danny Letain lost his left arm just below the elbow, in a railway accident 35 years ago. The locomotive engineer was knocked off a boxcar and dragged 10 metres. Then, a wheel severed the limb.

Since the accident, Letain has managed with a traditional pincher and hook prosthesis; a jerk of the shoulder or elbow opens and closes the pincer, allowing him to complete simple tasks, such as opening doors.

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The amputation didn’t stop Letain from pursuing his love of skiing, on mountains and on water. Now 58, the veteran parathlete still teaches waterskiing, including the barefoot variety. But he’s more than ready to trade up to a more sophisticated prosthesis, something that could increase his range of movement, something that comes closer to performing like the miraculous human hand.

He may have found it. New upper-limb robotics technology developed at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., could revolutionize the prosthetics industry and help amputees regain most — if not all — of their mobility.