They are directly connected to the bone, muscles and nerves

Oct 13, 2014 06:32 GMT  ·  By

3D printed prosthetics may have what it takes to totally sideline regular prosthetics, since they are better at everything while costing a thousandth of the price. That only goes for simple mechanical ones though. Electromechanical ones are still in a class of their own, something that will become especially true in a month or two.

We say this because of what a team of researchers from Chalmers University of Technology has created: an osseointegrated (bone-anchored) implant system. In layman’s terms, that means a prosthetic limb that is directly connected to the bone.

Now it's true that such prosthetic arms and legs have been created and used before, on a variety of patients, but there is something special about this newest one.

Basically, in addition to the bone, the prosthetic is also connected to the muscles and nerves, allowing the recipient to control it with their mind, much like they would an actual limb.

The mind-controlled prosthetic arm

Technically dubbed a “direct skeletal attachment,” the robotic limb uses implanted neuromuscular interfaces to imitate the functionality of a real arm.

This isn't just a concept that you'll have to wait ages before seeing in actual use. Human trials are already being done. Well, one of them has already been carried out, with very promising results.

In fact, the results were so promising that the scientists hope to commercialize the robotic prosthetic implant by the end of the year. So yes, two and a half months at most.

The patient who has been given a control system directly connected to his own works as a truck driver in northern Sweden. Not the easiest job even with two fully functional arms, but his right arm was amputated years ago, meaning he's been making do with an artificial limb since.

The one he used before was controlled by means of electrodes placed under the skin. An advanced system but limited in functionality and somewhat unreliable.

Now, the man can clamp the trailer load and operate machinery on his own just fine, and do even more challenging tasks like tie his children's skates and unpack eggs.

Associate professor Rickard Brånemark at Sahlgrenska University Hospital was the one who spearheaded the whole project, though he had a whole team of colleagues backing him up. Max Ortiz Catalan and Professor Bo Håkansson at Chalmers University of Technology were close collaborators of his.

The implanted limb can even feel things

This is owed to the bidirectional interface built into it. However, the sensory feedback has not been implemented just yet. Don't worry though. We might not have to wait more than a year before artificial limbs provide us with a sense of touch like our natural ones, or at least a down-scaled version.

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