3 Austrian Men Fitted with Mind Controlled Bionic Hands

Three men from Austria recently underwent a 'bionic reconstruction' procedure where their injured hands were replaced with a robotic prosthetic hand. The prosthetic is built on a network of muscles and nerves, which have been transplanted to the arm - allowing the individual to exercise movement through the mind.

The bionic hand is fitted with sensors which works by transmitting electrical impulses to the muscles to command movement. The procedure was considered a success and helped all three recipients to accomplish day to day tasks like pouring water from a jug, picking a ball, using a key, cutting vegetables with a knife and buttoning a shirt with both hands. All three men had to undergo voluntary amputation before being fitted with the prosthetic hand.

Oskar Aszmann, the director of Christian Doppler Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function at the Medical Centre of Vienna developed this new technique along with engineers from the University Medical Centre in Goettingen.

The technique is ideal for individuals who are victims of brachial plexus injuries - usually a result of climbing or motor bike accidents.

Aszmann said, "In effect, brachial plexus avulsion injuries represent an inner amputation, irreversibly separating the hand from neural control. Existing surgical techniques for such injuries are crude and ineffective and result in poor hand function."

He continued, "The scientific advance here was that we were able to create and extract new neural signals via nerve transfers amplified by muscle transplantation. These signals were then decoded and translated into solid mechatronic hand function."

Milorad Marinkovic, 30, lost the use of his right hand when he became involved in a motorbike accident more than ten years back. The bionic hand has now enabled him to play with his kids and allows him to accomplish day to day tasks.

Marinkovic said, "I can throw things, but it is harder to catch a ball, because my right hand is still not quite as quick and natural (as my left)."

While the scope with using bionic hands is going to be limited, it will allow individuals with severe hand injuries to fulfil daily simple tasks. The procedure currently expensive, costs around $33,900.

Aszmann said, "So far, bionic reconstruction has only been done in our centre in Vienna. However, there are no technical or surgical limitations that would prevent this procedure from being done in centres with similar expertise and resources."