Thought-controlled prosthetic arm tested
LAUREL, Md. (UPI) -- A four-year program to create a thought-controlled prosthetic arm has yielded a prototype with nearly as much dexterity as a natural limb, U.S. researchers say.
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory will test a Modular Prosthetic Limb system on human subjects, using a brain-controlled interface, ScienceDaily.com reported Wednesday.
The MPL provides 22 degrees of motion, including independent movement of each finger, and weighs about 9 pounds, about the weight of a natural limb. It is designed to respond to its user's thoughts.
"We've developed the enabling technologies to create upper-extremity prosthetics that are more natural in appearance and use," APL's program manager Michael McLoughlin said. "Now … we are ready to test it with humans to demonstrate that the system can be operated with a patient's thoughts and that it can provide that patient with sensory feedback, restoring the sensation of touch.
"The results of this program will help upper-limb amputees and spinal cord injury patients, as well as others who have lost the ability to use their natural limbs, to have as normal a life as possible despite severe injuries or degenerative neurological disease," McLoughlin said.
Copyright 2010 by United Press International
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