A recent internet-savvy bionic hand, developed by an American neuroscientist and computer engineer, is the most flexible yet, with sensory feedback:
According to the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, roughly 100,000 Americans — and 10 million people worldwide — are missing a hand.
The award-winning Ability hand shown in the video, made by Psyonic, a Champaign, Illinois-based startup, is a useful illustration of how far prosthetics has come via electronic and internet technology.
Representative of a new generation of prostheses, it is both electronics and internet-friendly: It charges in roughly an hour and the charge lasts through the day. It is Bluetooth-compatible for the purpose of downloading new software for fine-tuning the fingers’ grip and functionality. It can even charge a cell phone.
News, “The Bionic Man was science fiction; the bionic hand is not” at Mind Matters News
But will we ever outdo nature? Why or why not?
Takehome: The Bionic Man was science fiction; the bionic hand is not. The trouble is, if the new bionic hands are going to help most of the world’s amputees , they can’t cost six million dollars, as in the old TV show. The story of how neuroscientist and computer engineer Adeel Akhtar got involved demonstrates that.
You may also wish to read:
Prosthetic hand controlled by thoughts alone? It’s here. Decades ago, no one could control a prosthesis only by thought. There is lots of room for the field to grow still. (2020)
New mind-controlled robot arm needs no brain implant. The thought-controlled device could help people with movement disorders control devices without the costs and risks of surgery. (2019)
High tech can help the blind see and amputees feel. It’s not a miracle; the human nervous system can work with electronic information. (2019)