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Mind-controlled robotic limbs have become a reality at America’s John Hopkins University, after a double amputee Les Baugh managed his new prosthetic arms with completely intuitive thought control.
The breakthrough research by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the university in Baltimore, Maryland, was conducted with the help of the man from Colorado, who lost both his arms up to the shoulders in an electrical accident 40 years ago. Having worn and controlled two Modular Prosthetic Limbs (MPL), he became the first person in the world to operate two robotic arms just by thinking about moving them.
“What really was amazing, and was another major milestone with MPL control, was his ability to control a combination of motions across both arms at the same time. This was a first for simultaneous bimanual control,” APL’s Courtney Moran, a prosthetist working with Baugh, said, adding it was “significant because this is not possible with currently available prostheses.”
Before having the MPL wirelessly integrated into his body, Baugh undergone a surgery, known as targeted muscle reinnervation, which reassigned the nerves that once controlled the arms and hands.
“By reassigning existing nerves, we can make it possible for people who have had upper-arm amputations to control their prosthetic devices by merely thinking about the action they want to perform,” Johns Hopkins trauma surgeon Albert Chi said.
Read more:
Double amputee moves prosthetic arms by intuitive thought - End the Lie - Independent News | End the Lie – Independent News
The breakthrough research by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the university in Baltimore, Maryland, was conducted with the help of the man from Colorado, who lost both his arms up to the shoulders in an electrical accident 40 years ago. Having worn and controlled two Modular Prosthetic Limbs (MPL), he became the first person in the world to operate two robotic arms just by thinking about moving them.
“What really was amazing, and was another major milestone with MPL control, was his ability to control a combination of motions across both arms at the same time. This was a first for simultaneous bimanual control,” APL’s Courtney Moran, a prosthetist working with Baugh, said, adding it was “significant because this is not possible with currently available prostheses.”
Before having the MPL wirelessly integrated into his body, Baugh undergone a surgery, known as targeted muscle reinnervation, which reassigned the nerves that once controlled the arms and hands.
“By reassigning existing nerves, we can make it possible for people who have had upper-arm amputations to control their prosthetic devices by merely thinking about the action they want to perform,” Johns Hopkins trauma surgeon Albert Chi said.
Read more:
Double amputee moves prosthetic arms by intuitive thought - End the Lie - Independent News | End the Lie – Independent News