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Mind-Controlled Robotic Hand Now a Reality

by Amar Toor on December 6, 2009 at 12:12 PM

Advances in modern science have led to several recent breakthroughs in prosthetics. From telescoping robotic arms, to homemade, shoestring-budget limbs, to runway-worthy appendage alternatives, it seems that losing a limb today isn't quite the same cataclysmic, lifestyle-altering tragedy that it was even a few years ago. Now, doctors in Rome may have just broached the next frontier in prosthesis.

After losing his forearm in a car crash, 26-year-old Pierpaolo Petruzziello agreed to participate in a one-month medical experiment to test out a robotic hand that can be controlled by a patient's thoughts. Now, doctors say that the test run was successful, and may open the door for major developments to come. Unlike most other prosthetics, this robot hand wasn't implanted directly into Petruzziello, but was connected with a series of electrodes that were attached to the nerve endings on his severed arm. The Associated Press reports that, at a press conference, the medical team played video footage of the patient controlling the hand's actions with his mind as the device sat next to him. During the experiment, he learned to wiggle his fingers, make a fist, and grab objects. Said Petruzziello, "It felt almost the same as a real hand... you can't imagine what they did to me." Neurologist Paolo Maria Rossini jokingly added, "Some of the gestures cannot be disclosed because they were quite vulgar." (Awesome.)

Other similar thought-controlled prosthetic experiments have been successful in the past, but all of those only worked when a limb was completely severed. Scientists hope that this development may offer solutions for patients who have suffered only partial loss of a hand or arm. Although the project lasted only a month, it was still the longest that electrodes had remained connected to a patient's nervous system. Doctors acknowledge that the next challenge is to develop a more durable device that can function for years on end. It's clear, though, that the significance of this particular success shouldn't be downplayed. There may still be barriers to overcome, but if prosthetic science progresses as rapidly as it has, it should only be a matter of time before someone smashes through them -- with a robotic fist or otherwise. [From: AP/Yahoo! News]

Tags: neurology, prosthetic, prosthetic limbs, ProstheticLimbs, research, robotics, science, top

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