Researchers at Johns Hopkins have created a new modular prosthetic limb, capable of lifting 45 pounds, with 26 joints and is controlled by the mind. It is modular, so it has the ability to be fitted to people with any amputation location and can help people lead nearly normal lives. Nerves are remapped to the prosthetic so that the limb can be controlled with ease and phantom pain avoided. In fact, there is a possibility of actually feeling stimulus via the arm, which has over a hundred different sensors and allows users to feel things like texture. It is, however, prohibitively expensive and needs to be brought down in price to a point where average people can afford it. In the future they would like to make it completely noninvasive- i.e. no surgery in order for it to work. Link to article:
Nicole Kelly, a former Miss America contestant, was born without an arm. She grew up trying different prosthetics, which were usually uncomfortable and unnatural, so she opted to learn how to live life with one arm. She has recently tried using an advanced, state of the art prosthetic arm which was developed at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and uses sensors in the arm that work with her muscles. This allows her to use it as naturally as if she had 2 real arms. The system she uses is about 15 to 30 percent of the cost of the prosthetic arm and it works with all of the arms on the market. Link to article: https://www.today.com/health/former-miss-iowa-s-videos-using-prosthetic-hand-goes-viral-t116581