Advances in prosthetic development are increasingly astonishing. Fixed units with limited functions are becoming a thing of the past, and we are slowly entering an era of bionic systems that adapt to almost every case. Today, thanks to research carried out by Johns Hopkins University, a man who lost both arms more than 40 years ago can train with two bionic arms at the same time, and hopes to take them home soon.
A Man Who Lost Both Arms
Leslie Baugh's life was conditioned more than forty years ago after an electrical accident that cost him both arms. Today, science and technology are developing methods that could allow him to recover them. It's not the first time we talk about mind-controlled prostheses, and we hope it's not the last. The designs are increasingly precise, efficient, and flexible. What was once the exclusive domain of science fiction now appears more frequently in projects and special experiments. There are still many aspects to solve, and some seem basic at first glance, such as the power source. However, you have to start anyway. A group of experts stationed at Johns Hopkins University accepted Leslie's challenge, and this is the result:
The Training Process
In June of this year, Leslie visited the Applied Physics Laboratory of the university. Before using the system, he had to undergo a special surgery that allows reassigning nerves previously dedicated to the control of arms and hands. Then he began the training phase, coordinating movements with the help of virtual arms generated on a computer.
According to Albert Chi, a surgeon and one of the main participants in the project, recognition algorithms were applied to determine patterns, identify muscle contraction, and record elements such as communication levels, amplitude, and frequency. Once all that information is concentrated, it is translated into specific movements for each arm.
Finally, Leslie put on the support with the arms, and citing his own words, it was “like going to another world”.
The project leaders were amazed by Leslie's learning ability. They even considered the possibility that he might only be able to control one arm at a time. Instead, Leslie responded with both arms at the same time, so we are facing the first case of this type.
With sufficient optimizations, the university is convinced that Leslie will be able to take the arms home soon, and as always, the plan is to make this technology reach the people who truly need it.
