A British man who lost his right arm in an accident says the bionic arm he's been given is so precise he can dress himself for the first time in six years.

Nigel Ackland, 53, has been fitted with a carbon fiber mechanical hand he can control with muscles in his upper arm to type on a computer keyboard or hold a raw egg without cracking it, The Sun reported.

Sensors in the $40,000 prosthesis react to the muscles to trigger one of 14 programmed grips that mimic human movements, such as a clenched fist, a pointed finger and a squeeze hold.

Ackland, forced to retire after losing his arm in an industrial blending machine, said the prosthetic hand provided "a whole new quality of life."

Prosthetic company RSLSteeper, based in Leeds, approached Ackland this year to see whether he was interest in participating in trial of its latest prosthetic, said to be one of the most advanced in the world.

"I have been blown away by the robotic hand, I could sit and watch it all day -- I feel like the Terminator," he said. "It is like being your old self, with a very cool piece of machinery helping you."