Biomedical engineers at Newcastle University in the U.K. have developed a prosthetic hand with an incredible new skill: the ability to “see.”
The bionic hand is fitted with a camera that “instantaneously takes a picture of the object in front of it, assesses its shape and size and triggers a series of movements in the hand,” according to a news release from the school.
The team hopes this ushers in a new era of prosthetic hands that work better than anything available today, allowing the wearer to reach for objects automatically, without thinking. Prosthetic hands today require the wearer to physically stimulate the muscles of the arm to initiative movement — a process that takes concentration and practice.
The new bionic hand bypasses this process: it “‘sees’ and…