Posted: 14 July 2023
In a world-first, a patient with an amputation above the elbow has been able to control a bionic hand as if it was his own thanks to new surgical and engineering advancements merging humans with machine.
The ground-breaking study was led by Professor Max Ortiz Catalan, Head of Neural Prosthetic Research at the Bionics Institute in Melbourne (Australia) and Founding Director of the Center for Bionics and Pain Research in Gothenburg (Sweden).
Published in Science Translational Medicine, Professor Ortiz Catalan’s paper is the first documented case of an individual whose body was surgically modified to incorporate implanted sensors connected to a bionic hand via a skeletal implant.
This new technique allows the patient to have intuitive movement of each and every finger and sensory awareness.
Professor Ortiz Catalan says this research offers new hope and possibilities for people with amputations worldwide.
“Prosthetic limb options are commonly attached to the body by a socket that compresses the residual limb – a process which is mechanically unstable and can cause discomfort,” he says.
“Our work uses osseointegration, where a titanium implant is placed within the residual bone and becomes strongly anchored to the patient’s skeleton. Such skeletal attachment allows for comfortable and more efficient mechanical connection of the prosthesis to the body.”
