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News Sport
Mind-controlled prosthetic arm debuts infographic
Graphic shows how the Atom Touch works.
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TECH

Brain-controlled arm offers hope to amputees

By Ninian Carter

August 22, 2024 - Looking like something out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie, the new Atom Touch prosthetic arm allows users to control movement, and even individual fingers, using their minds.

Atom Limbs, a Californian robotics firm, has announced the Atom Touch prosthetic arm – the first of its kind with individual finger control.

Looking like something out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie, the limb uses a non-invasive connection to the wearer, known as electromyography, that allows them to control movement using their brain to think how to move it.

According to the Amputee Coalition there are more than five million people in the U.S. alone living with limb loss, with most current prosthetic arm offerings made up of separate elbow, wrist and hand components from different suppliers.

The Atom Touch is a whole arm unit (up to the shoulder), with a battery and computer located in the forearm.

The device is set to go through clinical trials and FDA approval and come to market in the next 12-18 months, costing around $25,000 – the same as currently used body-powered prosthetic hooks.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 22/08/2024; STORY: Graphic News
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