At the D6 conference yesterday, Dean Kamen showed again the amazing creation he and his team made, a prosthetic robot arm controlled by the mind. It is nicknamed "Luke," after the arm fitted to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
When it is said to be controlled by the mind, that isn't a direct connection, but an indirect connection via electrodes put on the chest.
How it works is the brain sends signals to the muscles in the chest, where the muscles pick up the signals and respond by controlling the movement of the prosthesis. It's called re-integration.
Kamen was approached by DARPA some time ago with the assignment to make something far better that injured soldiers could use when they lost their arms. At the time Kamen didn't think it was possible.
Amazing Bionic Arm from Dean Kamen
As you can see in the video though, it's a tremendous success, as the arm is able to not only pick up small items, but is also able to pick up things like grapes, without crushing them. One user was able to eat for the first time in 13 years; an amazing accomplishment.
Before he's through, Kamen wants to be able to have a direct, non-intrusive connection to the brain, where direct commands can be inputed to the arm. Still, as it is it's a great accomplishment by Kamen and his team.
You can find out how the arm works here, and the brain part of it works here.
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