A prosthetic arm that decodes phantom limb movements

Paris, 29 November 2018 About 75% of amputees exhibit mobility of their phantom limb. Using this information, in collaboration with physicians ¹ , researchers from CNRS and Aix-Marseille University have developed a prototype capable of detecting these movements and activating a prosthetic arm. The prosthesis does not require any surgery and patients do not need training. The results are published on November 29, 2018 in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology . Most amputees feel sensations where their missing limb used to be, hence the name “phantom limb. In a previous study ² , researchers had shown that more than 75% of amputees can voluntarily move their phantom limb. The execution of these “phantom” movements, such as for instance finger pinching, the hand making a fist, or the wrist rotating or flexing, are always associated with specific muscle contractions in the stump.