This Marine Can Control His Robotic Arm with His Mind

Many soldiers come back from the war with serious injuries, and some of them even end up losing some of their limbs. Unfortunately, even though prosthetics are becoming more and more affordable as the years go by, sometimes they offer very limited mobility. Things are looking up, though, as recent reports state that a retired Denver Marine named James Sides has become the first person in the world to enjoy the newest technology created by the Alfred Mann Foundation. The technology allows him to control his robotic arm using only his mind, all thanks to a series of small Myoelectric Sensors that were implanted into James’ arm muscles. A radio-frequency coil placed above the implant site transmits a series of wireless electronic signals from the muscles to a special controller that interprets everything accordingly and facilitates movement.

Staff Sgt. Sides lost his arm in 2012 while attempting to disarm an IED in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the IED exploded and also left him blind in one eye. The new robotic arm is definitely making life easier for him, as he is now able to perform more complex tasks such as gripping things. His exact words were the following:

“With my new set up, with eight sensors implanted inside, now I have three ranges of motion.I can open and close, I can rotate my wrist and now I can move my thumb independently. On the plus side I can do everything all at once now.”