When it comes to big boys’ toys, you know that the folks over in military research agencies tend to have the latest and greatest stuff to play around with. After all, the security of a nation is always worth investing in, and in order to do so, you will need to equip your men with the best equipment there is in the market – even future-forward ones. DARPA is definitely no stranger to the world of bionic limb research, where a couple of new projects under the agency’s RE-NET program currently places emphasis on improving amputees’ link to their prosthetics.
The RE-NET program intends to develop the technology which will hook up artificial limbs to current nerves and muscles. The moment that is achieved, users are once again able to “feel” the prosthetic, and in addition to that, also to move it as one would be able to with a real arm or leg. This will be very different from other projects that tend to be focused on one-way control. Bionic limbs have certainly taken on a new lease of life, and we do hope to see more and more of such developments happen down the road.
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