Shark attack victim gets bionic leg

What's it like to have your leg bitten off by a shark? Craig Hutto found out the hard way when in 2005, he was attacked by a bull shark while swimming off Cape San Bilas, Fla. For years following the attack - which also mangled his hands - Hutto, now 23, relied on a wheelchair and a cumbersome prosthesis to get around. But now he's walking normally again, thanks to a new bionic leg developed at Vanderbilt University.

What does the leg look like? How does it work? Keep clicking to find out...

Hutto was fishing at the beach 50 miles south of Panama City before the attack on June 27, 2005. This is the last photo taken of him before he lost his leg.

As a lab assistant at Vanderbilt, Hutto volunteered to help engineering professor Michael Goldfarb test the robotic artificial leg he was developing.

"Going up and down slopes is one of the hardest things to do with a conventional leg," Hutto told Vanderbilt University. "So I have to be conscious of where I go because I can get very tired walking up and down slopes. But that won't be a problem with the powered leg because it goes up and down slopes almost like a natural leg."

The battery-operated device weighs about nine pounds - less than most human lower legs - and can operate for three days of normal activity, roughly 8 to 9 miles, on a single charge.

Like a real leg, the bionic leg may trip over objects - so it has a built-in sensor that's designed to prevent stumbles.

The bionic leg took seven years to build. It's the first prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison, and with sensors that monitor motion.

Since working with the new prosthesis, Hutto has not only gained a new leg, but he has also decided to pursue a career in medicine.

Here's a bull shark like the one that attacked Hutto. One of just three breeds that attack people, the bull shark is known to troll shallow, warm waters where humans often swim.