A 43-year-old man who lost the use of his genitals at the age of six has been given a “bionic penis.” The new device, which is 20 centimeters (eight inches) long, uses fluids from an implant in his belly to inflate two tubes along its length. It is controlled by a button on his scrotum.

Mohammed Abad from Edinburgh, Scotland, lost the use of his penis in a tragic accident as a child when he was hit by a car and dragged for 180 meters (600 feet). Three years ago, doctors began using skin grafts from his arm to create a new penis for him, which has finally been attached after an 11-hour operation at University College London.

"When you want a bit of action you press the ‘on’ button," Abad told The Sun. "When you are finished you press another button. It takes seconds. Doctors have told me to keep practising."

Abad can now achieve an erection for the first time since the accident. The new appendage should also apparently allow him to start a family. Abad lost his left testicle in the accident, but his other is still functioning

It is the first such bionic penis, but in March this year, an unidentified South African man became the recipient of the world’s first successful penis transplant. The 21-year-old had lost his penis after a circumcision went wrong. In June, it was announced that he was to become a father thanks to the operation.