To the casual observer, the 25-year-old British man walking down the streets of Austin with a seemingly metallic left arm this weekend might be a cosplayer — a fan of a Marvel Comics figures like Cable or the Winter Soldier. It matches his lanky build well, and you can occasionally catch him using it vaguely in the manner of a smartphone. But that's James Young's real, bespoke prosthetic arm. It's a kingly gift from the Japanese game studio Konami, and it's inspired by its recent blockbusterMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. We've written about Young before, but that was over three months ago, back when his unusual arm was but an unrealized concept. Now it's the real deal. It's the work of famed prosthetics sculptor Sophie de Oliveira Barata, who founded the Alternative Limb Project to create both lifelike limbs and eyecatchers like the "Spike Leg" for amputees less concerned with concealment. Young got to try his on for the first time only a few days ago. Indeed, when we spoke yesterday shortly before the limb's big reveal at Austin, Texas' BodyHacking Con, he wasn't even sure how to generalize the way people react to the arm in relation to his old, simple hook prosthesis.

Read More at www.motherboard.vice.com