American researchers have to say for the first time, two mind-controlled armprothesen successful when a man is tested. The arms of the man forty years ago amputated, but because of the innovation he may again be different movements.
The man was forty years ago, involved in an accident in which he both of his arms lost. By the development of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University, he can kunstarmen, however, again certain movements. He may be the armprothesen with his mind control. There are stimuli to the remaining nerves in his shoulders sent, after which the robotic arms in motion.
The American first had to undergo surgery. It pertained to targeted muscle reinnervation: this is a relatively new method, with adjustments to original nerves, which ever is responsible for the control of the arm and hand were made. It is, according to the researchers, therefore, possible for the prosthesis to operate by thinking of the action that must be performed.
After the method was tested, the man was in a specially designed harness that prostheses supported lifted. Once everything matched, was the innovation tested in practice. The man moved in that test an object from a lower shelf to a higher shelf. The kunstarm had eight different movements to which action to do. Before that, they were ten days of training is needed, and that was, according to the researchers, far below expectations.
The armprothesen are still not comparable to that of human arms. In the current design of the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands while moving, but that may not at the same time. The researchers say that the person must select which movement he wants to make. The man must be between the different acts in a short rest. To an object to grasp, must have all elements so first in the correct position.
The researchers think that there is still much room for further development and then also at the beginning of the trajectory. The next goal of the project is to see how the innovation functions in the daily life.