For the First time, people with limb amputations can experience sensations of touch with a mind-controlled arm prosthesis. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on three Swedish patients who have lived, for several years, with this new technology. This is one of the world’s most integrated interfaces between human and machine.
The research was led by Max Ortiz Catalan, Associate Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, in collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, and Integrum AB, all in Gothenburg,
Sweden. Researchers at Medical University of Vienna in Austria and theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in the
USA were also involved.
Sweden. Researchers at Medical University of Vienna in Austria and theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in the
USA were also involved.
“Our study shows that a prosthetic hand, attached to the bone and controlled by electrodes implanted in nerves and muscles, can operate much more precisely than conventional prosthetic hands. We further improved the use of the prosthesis by integrating tactile sensory feedback. This is used by the patients to mediate how hard to grab or squeeze an object. Over time, the ability of the patients to discern smaller changes in the intensity of ensations has improved,” says Max Ortiz Catalan. The patients have used a mind-controlled prosthesis in their everyday life for up to seven years. For the last few years, they Max Ortiz Catalan, Associate Professor at Chalmers University of Technology have also lived with a new function. The sensations of touch in the prosthetic hand. This is a new concept for artificial limbs, which are called neuromusculoskeletal prostheses. They are connected to the user’s nerves, muscles, and skeleton. “The most important contribution of this study was to demonstrate that this new type of prosthesis is a clinically viable replacement for a lost arm. No matter how sophisticated a neural interface becomes, it can only deliver 
real benefit to patients if the connection between the patient and the prosthesis is safe and reliable in the long term. Our results are the product of many years of work, and now we can Finally present the first bionic arm prosthesis that can be reliably controlled using implanted electrodes, while also conveying sensations to the user in everyday life,” continues Prof. Catalan. Since receiving prostheses, the patients have used them daily in all their professional and personal activities.
real benefit to patients if the connection between the patient and the prosthesis is safe and reliable in the long term. Our results are the product of many years of work, and now we can Finally present the first bionic arm prosthesis that can be reliably controlled using implanted electrodes, while also conveying sensations to the user in everyday life,” continues Prof. Catalan. Since receiving prostheses, the patients have used them daily in all their professional and personal activities.
The newest part of the technology, the sensation of touch, is possible through stimulation of the nerves that used to be connected to the biological hand before the amputation. Force sensors located in the thumb of the prosthesis measure contact and pressure applied to an object while grasping. This information is transmitted to the patients’ nerves leading to their brains. Patients can thus feel when they are touching an object, its characteristics, and how hard they are pressing it, which is crucial for imitating a biological hand.
The implantation of this new technology took place at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, led by Professor Rickard Brånemark and Dr. Paolo Sassu. Over a million people worldwide suffer from limb loss, and the end goal for the research team, in collaboration with Integrum AB, is to develop a widely available product suitable for as many of these people as possible.
The current study dealt with patients who had above-elbow amputations, and this technology is closer to becoming a finished product. The research team is working in parallel with a new system for amputations below the elbow. In those cases, instead of one large bone (humerus), there are two smaller bones (radius and ulna) to which the implant needs to be anchored. The group is also working on adapting the system for leg prostheses. In addition to aplications within arosthetics, the permanent interface between human and machine provides entirely new opportunities for scientific research into how the human muscular and nervous systems work.
REFERENCES
1. Chalmers University of Technology. (2020, April 30). Mind-controlled arm prostheses that ‘feel’ are now a part of everyday life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2020 from
2. Fan, S. (2019, July 31).”Moving Beyond Mind-controlled Limbs to Prosthetics That Can Actually ‘Feel’.”Retrieved May 12, 2020 from
3. ”Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm Moves Individual ‘Fingers’.” (2016, February 15).Retrieved May 12, 2020 from
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/mind_controlled_prosthetic_arm_moves_individual_fingers_
4. ”Neuroscience researchers receive $3.4 million NIH grant to develop brain-controlled prosthetic limbs.”(2018, October 5). Retrieved May 12, 2020 from
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