1. Claudia Mitchell simply thinks to make the arm move
2. Chest muscle movement is picked up by nerves, once attached to the real arm, but now re-wired to its replacement
3. Motors control its movement
4. Unfortunately the 11 pound (5kg) arm and hand do not feel touch
………………

Human now can be fitted with a “bionic” arm that can control by human thoughts alone. The technology is so advanced that it corelate between human brain and human body movement.

BBC news – Claudia Mitchell lost her left arm at the shoulder in a motorbike accident. She is the first woman to be fitted with new arm so called “bionic” arm. Her new arm works by detecting movements of a chest muscle that has been connected to the remains of nerves that once went to her real arm.

The latest version has been significantly improved. Mitchell can now fold clothes, eat a banana and do the washing up. She said that she also can move her elbow up and down and can open and close her hand simply by thinking that that’s what she want to do.The technology, developed by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), took about five hours to install. The ends of the nerves that once controlled the arm were removed from her shoulder and connected to nerves in the chest muscle, some of which conveyed sensation from the skin above.

Over several months the transplanted nerves grew into the muscle tissue. Once this happened electrodes fixed to a harness worn on the shoulder were able to detect impulses emitted from the nerves into the muscle and forward them to the arm. These impulses are processed by a computer, which is able to direct the arm to make very precise movements.

Ms Mitchell said: “Before the surgery, I doubted that I would ever be able to get my life back. “But this arm and the RIC have allowed me to return to a life that is more rewarding and active than I ever could have imagined. “I am happy, confident and independent”. She said the arm was heavy, but that was due to extra motors which gave it a greater range of function. – BBC News.

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