
The first dexterous and sentient hand prosthesis has been successfully implanted - stonewhite
http://www.detop-project.eu/news/the-first-dexterous-and-sentient-hand-prosthesis-has-been-successfully-implanted/
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est31
I'm a bit uneasy about the fact that they are punching through skin. This
always bears a big risk of infections as the skin is the #1 protection from
bacteria. Even prosthetics fully under the skin have this risk, and septic
shock is a possibly lethal threat. And we humans love to put our hands to
various sometimes more, sometimes less, dirty places.

~~~
eganist
For your awareness, this risk has largely been observed and researched in the
field of dental implants. I'd suspect this research would be extended and
applied here with this concept.

My _assumption_ is that the exposed components are not just made from titanium
(biocompatibility) but are also textured in such a way that soft tissue can
enforce a seal, but I'm speculating because I'm not finding the necessary
documentation on it. Someone more informed may be able to chime in.

Edit: This is the closest starting point I've found for your continued
reading.

[http://www.jdionline.org/article.asp?issn=0974-6781;year=201...](http://www.jdionline.org/article.asp?issn=0974-6781;year=2013;volume=3;issue=2;spage=148;epage=152;aulast=Alva)

~~~
krageon
A year or two ago I investigated what the state of the art was for metal
grafted onto bone (for example to mount prosthetics) and the conclusion was
"it often works or only gets a little infected. Sometimes it gets badly
infected, not much we can do about that", but that was the actual practice.

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userbinator
How appropriate is the term "sentient" here, given that the hand is still
controlled by the brain of the human it is attached to?

~~~
adrusi
The technical meaning of "sentient" is "capable of feeling". It's opposed to
"sapient", which means capable of thinking.

It's a reasonable adaptation of the term to have it mean "capable of
transmitting touch signals to the wearers nervous system" in the context of
prosthetics.

~~~
mftrhu
Wouldn't "sensate" be a better word?

~~~
adrusi
Yes.

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jjcm
The video (
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQiJPexEDM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQiJPexEDM)
) provides a bit clearer explanation of what's going on. They're actually
sending signals directly through the percutaneous bone anchors, which is
pretty rad in my book. Looks like the hand just snaps on to the anchors and
you're ready to go, albeit with years of retraining the nerve endings for the
new signals.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Curious if you could speed up retraining for the prosthetic using biofeedback.

~~~
ricardobeat
Could you explain what that means to a layperson?

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kozikow
On track to "Deus ex: human revolution" in 2027. Human prosthetics
augmentation is a centerpiece of the story:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTSX_csbQY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTSX_csbQY)
.

~~~
alpaca128
Now all that's missing is a huge pharma company buying a tech startup for
revolutionary prosthetics and selling both prosthetics and drugs like inkjet
printers and cartridges.

~~~
kozikow
[https://deusex.fandom.com/wiki/Neuropozyne](https://deusex.fandom.com/wiki/Neuropozyne)

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bitxbitxbitcoin
"In a pioneering surgery, titanium implants were placed in the two forearm
bones (radius and ulnar), from which electrodes to nerves and muscle were
extended to extract signals to control a robotic hand and to provide tactile
sensations."

This seems pretty significant. And, I hate to sound gross but doesn't that
technically mean a prosthesis could be attached as an extra instead of a
replacement?

~~~
ruytlm
This is one of the areas I think is fascinating about prosthesis - once we get
to the point where they're essentially connected in to the brain, and can be
used as though they were a natural limb, what would happen if say, you raised
a child with the ability to control four arms as naturally as two? Or raised
them with non-humanoid limbs?

~~~
est31
Another really cool application would be the ability to control extremities
that aren't part of your body. Using the internet, you could deliver whole-
body experiences to robotic shells thousands of km away from your actual body
or in virtual environments. The indian concept of avatars, also part of
christian religion, would become scientific reality.

~~~
dx87
There's a startup, I believe it's in Japan, that is working on this. Basically
you'd have generic looking prosthetic humans at popular tourist locations, and
you could pay to rent them for a set amount of time, remotely controlling them
with sensors attached to your body, and seeing through their eyes with a VR
helmet.

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edoo
I hope I live to see the day I can read a news article about black market
cybernetic chop shops.

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samstave
What if i dont need a prothesis replacement arm, but i ___want_ __and
additional third or fourth arm wearable in the form of a “backpack with arms”

How can i get one, and how expensive (medically and financially) will my
additional sets of arms be?

~~~
emanuensis
Try looking for "third thumb". A DIY project where a guy got input from a toe
to control a motorized second "thumb" on a hand. AFAIK no one ever made a
project of it ... but ones feet are a vastly under utilized resource and could
be re purposed quite readily. Eg why not control a virtual twiddler? Or indeed
a "hand prosthetic".

~~~
jcims
I think a foot interface would be awesome for bulk operations like
scrolling/panning/zooming. Think of a trackball but like a medicine ball that
is heavy and carries some momentum. Pedals too i guess, but i like the big
heavy ball idea. Probably be great for your feet too.

~~~
adrianN
[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/FootSwitches](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/FootSwitches)

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IshKebab
Is there no video of it use?

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pietroglyph
There are if you read farther down:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf3try5tu-0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf3try5tu-0)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EES8U5LwaUs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EES8U5LwaUs)

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yonatron
Very ambitious use of the word "sentient".... hubris much?

~~~
lookACamel
Sentient means capable of feeling.

