Doctors Wired a Prosthetic Hand Directly Into a Woman’s Nerves
The hand is an enormous step up from existing prostheses, which often rely on electrodes placed on the outside of the skin — and it could herald a future in which robotic devices interface seamlessly with our bodies.
Nerve Case
Researchers created the prosthetic hand as part of DeTOP, an ambitious European research program on prosthetic limbs.Surgeons anchored the hand to the woman’s forearm bones using titanium implants. They connected an array of 16 electrodes directly to her nerves and muscles, allowing her to control the hand with her mind — and, according to photos, use it to tie shoelaces and type on a laptop computer.
Electronics wired straight into a human nervous system allow for mind-bending new ways to interact with technology. A video released by the Swedish researchers even shows the woman using the implant to flex a virtual hand on a computer screen — before the actual physical hand was installed.
For decades, cyborg limbs like those depicted in “Star Wars” or “Neuromancer” seemed relegated to the realm of science fiction. New research shows that they’re already here — just not yet widely available.
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Labels: allows, directly, electrodes, feel, fingers to move, forearm bones, hand, implants, muscles, neuromuscular interfaces, prosthetic, tactile sensations, titanium, wired, with her mind, woman's nerves



















