Austin, Tex-based Hanger Clinic reports that an amputee patient who lost his leg above the knee as a result of a workplace accident is reportedly thriving, enabled by the use of a waterproof, microprocessor-controlled prosthetic leg manufactured as a joint venture between Hanger and Minneapolis-based Ottobock.

Per a recent Hanger Clinic media release, while on the job at an electric utility company, 51-year-old Terry Thewis came into contact with 7,200 high-voltage wire. The resulting injury necessitated the amputation of his leg.

Thewis has been able to return to the lifestyle and activities he enjoyed prior to his injury, however, in large part because of how the new prosthetic has performed, according to the release.

The release explains that the X3 is the result of a collaboration between Hanger and Ottobock to develop a prosthetic leg to help injured service members with above-the-knee amputations return to normal activities of daily living as well as active duty if they choose to do so.

The waterproof electronic leg includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope that are able to intuitively tell where a user’s leg is in space, allowing for a virtually natural gait, per the release.

The prosthesis is also engineered to enable the patient to run, walk backward, cross obstacles in a more anatomically correct way, and climb stairs step-over-step without massive compensating movement; and is designed to be “ruggedized” based on conditions an active duty military member might face, according to the release.

The electronic leg is programmed using a laptop and Bluetooth technology, with five activity modes that can be set for biking, golfing, driving, etc, and are activated using a key fob-sized remote. A mute mode is also available that silences all of the leg’s vibration and beep signals when needed for activities such as meetings, church services, hunting, and more, the release continues.

[Source: Hanger Inc]