Throughout the years, medical technology has been delivering some amazing advances as we’ve seen a man run with blades for legs in the London Olympics and earlier this year, a truly Bionic Man.
This weekend, a report was published that highlighted the first bionic hand where the amputee could feel what they were touching, which is expected to be transplanted into a 20-something year old patient living in Rome. The bionic hand will be connected into the patient’s nervous system, which doctors are hoping the patient is then able to control the hand’s movements as well as receive touch signals from skin sensors installed on the hand.
All won’t be roses when the hand is first transplanted onto the patient as doctors will have to see how he will adapt to the artificial limb, if he’ll want to keep it attached at all times and the concealment of the wiring underneath the patient’s skin.
Regardless of these medical hurdles, having a hand that not only can be controlled through thought, but can also provide feedback as to what the amputee is touching is still an amazing medical advancement. Hopefully the procedure will go well enough to improve the entire process so more amputees could benefit from this bionic hand.
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