Technologically engineered arm good as new

Scientists have made a quite impressive progress lately, managing to take signals from the brain of monkeys and men and using them to control mechanical limbs.

However, this is only the beginning.

Darpa, the Pentagon's blue sky research division, plan on developing a "neurally controlled artificial limb that will restore full motor and sensory capability to upper extremity amputee patients. This revolutionary prosthesis will be controlled, feel, look and perform like the native limb."

Just like the arm Luke Skywalker gets in "Empire Strikes Back" after Vader chops it off, but the term of finalization for this ambitious project is only 4 years away, according to Darpa.

How about its functions? How accurate would the arm be compared to a natural one?
"The limb would have to be wired directly into the peripheral nervous system, instead of the brain-controlled arms being demonstrated today, Darpa tells researchers interested in working on this "Revolutionizing Prosthetics" project. Under agency guidelines, the arm will need enough finesse to pick up a raisin or to write in longhand. It needs to be sensitive enough for the wearer to handle day-to-day tasks in the dark. And the limb will have to be strong enough to lift 60 pounds at a time."
"The final product [an above-the-elbow prosthetic arm] must be ready for human clinical trials… [and] sufficiently mature to enter the appropriate approval processes for general medical use by the end of 24 months."

This project truly signifies what "giving a hand" to all those who need it means...very interesting, indeed...

- source : DefenseTech -