Five years on, the Dunedin artist says he is New Zealand’s robotic man after becoming the owner of a $35,000 hand about six weeks ago.
At 2kg, the Taska Prosthetics-designed hand was heavier than his former fibreglass prosthesis, but was equipped with robotic sensors which allowed him to do "nearly everything".
"The sensors are [activated] by the muscles in my arm, so if I tense them, it will do one thing; if I flex the muscles the hand will change position."
Mr Wilson’s life changed after he put his arm in a shredding machine, which he believed was turned off.
"It was fairly instantaneous. Once I saw it, I realised it [the hand] wouldn’t be going back on."
Mr Wilson returned to sculpting eight days after the accident.
Early last year he used a robotic hand from Scotland, which wasn’t effective.
A replacement, received before Christmas, had since proved unbreakable and he was thrilled to now have it permanently.
The hi-tech hand was waterproof and more durable than his previous hands.
Past disasters had included Mr Wilson welding his first prosthesis to a sculpture and melting the fingertips off silicone glove covers.
"I can do more domestic things, like being able to hold a cup of coffee at the same time as opening a door and opening packaging."
The battery-powered robotic hand was equipped with Bluetooth and could perform many gestures, with good and bad connotations, as well as shaking hands at various pressures. The rechargeable battery lasted about 10 hours. When the hand moved it made quintessential robotic noises which could be problematic.
"I went to the movies the other night and had to take my hand off," he said, laughing.
The technology attracted lots of attention, particularly from children.
"They just love the idea of you being a robot. It’s good that they ask ... there are a lot of people out there missing a limb. It’s not something to shy away from."
