Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagAmputees (and robotic prostheses)

young-disabled-man-playing-on-piano-electronic-synthesizer-with-artificial-prosthetic-hand-in-music-shop-stockpack-adobe-stock
Young disabled man playing on piano electronic synthesizer with artificial prosthetic hand in music shop

What If a Prosthetic Limb Could Feel Like the Real Thing?

No, this isn’t some Uncanny Valley; the human nervous system responds to electrical signals from machines

A NOVA special premiering February 23, looks at a remarkable new development in prostheses that “allows prosthetic legs to move and feel like the real thing.” Here’s the trailer: Follow the dramatic personal journey of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At age 17, Herr’s legs were amputated after a climbing accident. Frustrated by the crude prosthetic limbs he was given, Herr set out to remedy their design, leading him to a career as an inventor of innovative prosthetic devices. Now, Herr is teaming up with an injured climber and a surgeon at a leading Boston hospital to test a new approach to surgical amputation that allows prosthetic limbs to move and feel like the real Read More ›