Former paratrooper Milos Stankovic becomes first UK patient fitted with Bristol bionic arm
Former paratrooper Milos Stankovic has become the first UK patient fitted with a new bionic upper arm developed in Bristol by Open Bionics, BBC One West reported.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on Milos Stankovic's recovery and the Bristol-developed bionic arm.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Former paratrooper Milos Stankovic has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with a new type of bionic upper arm developed in Bristol, BBC One West reported. The former Parachute Regiment officer lost his arm in a crash while riding through northern Spain just over a year ago.
The BBC One West report said Stankovic felt a juddering as his arm was badly injured and his leg was smashed in the accident. An off-duty policewoman used her trouser belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and Stankovic said: 'But for her, I'd be dead.'
After emergency treatment, the report said, he focused on returning to the activities he loved. The NHS provided him with a prosthetic arm, but he said it was designed mainly for everyday life and work rather than the physically demanding sports he hoped to resume.
The new upper arm, made by Bristol-based Open Bionics, is the first artificial upper arm of its kind, according to BBC One West. Using 3D printing, engineers create a lightweight hollow socket designed to let heat and sweat escape, helping users stay comfortable during physical activity. After a digital impression of the stump, specialists fit sensors that detect muscle signals to control the hand and elbow.
BBC One West reported that the technology was funded through the company's charitable foundation after supporters helped raise around £20,000. Tilly, a 21-year-old who has worked with Open Bionics since she was nine, testing prototypes and helping improve designs, said it was 'really exciting' that the arm is now available for above-elbow amputees.
Stankovic hopes innovations like this will become available through the NHS to more patients. The BBC One West report said his ambition was simple: to get back on a motorbike or in the air and return to the life he had before.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A new bionic upper arm developed in Bristol was fitted to Milos Stankovic, described as the first such case in the UK. | |
| Open Bionics uses 3D printing to produce a lightweight hollow socket intended to let heat and sweat escape. | |
| The technology was funded by Open Bionics' charitable foundation after supporters raised about £20,000. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West treated the story as a human-interest health and technology feature. It gave detailed space to Milos Stankovic's crash and recovery, the role of an off-duty policewoman in saving him, and his ambition to return to sport and motorcycling. It also explained how Open Bionics made the arm and noted that the NHS prosthetic he had was not designed for demanding sports.
- “But for her, I'd be dead.”
- “But it's really exciting to see that now available for above elbow amputees as well.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:39 GMT
Milos Stankovic, former paratrooper
BBC News at One including · Mon 2 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.