The Mind-Controlled Bionic Arm With a Sense of Touch

In the first episode of Humans+, Motherboard dives into the world of future prosthetics, and the people working on closing the gap between man and machine.

We follow Melissa Loomis, an amputee from Ohio, who had experimental nerve reversal surgery and is going to Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Lab to test out its latest Modular Prosthetic Limb, a cutting-edge bionic arm funded in part by DARPA. Neuro-interfacing machinery is a game changer in terms rehabilitating patients, but what possibilities do these advancements open for the future?

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[_SPACE_CWBY]

The one thing that is amazing is that she actually feels touch in her phantom. Like I can't even believe that.

[xxx_sweg_quickscopz_lrd_]

Serious props to the scientists that actually take their time and effort into developing the future!

[lejink]

Sucks that I won't be alive in a couple hundred years to see how far our technology advances

[monito]

"Hey, can you pass the salt?"
"Yeah sorry, my arm is lagging."

[ClaftsC]

future tutorials are gonna be like "How to add a flamethrower to your bionic arm NO ROOT 2120"

[navtektv]

Don't give it a realistic skin, leave it bionic looking, looks cooler.

[PYCHJUIC]

Imagine if someone hacks your arm and punches you in your face

[abigailment]

The nerve system reading ability is crazy, but the fact that she can feel through the arm too is insane. When the tech gets even better, I can’t wait for whole new groups of people to have access to tasks that require a lot of dexterity.

[dannydeko]

Robotic hands are science fiction, they're only in movies
Robotic Hands: Let me hold my beer

[DrewHittenberger]

I just hope there is not a latency issue, amount of time between the movement.

[wonderp]

This is incredible, I hope every amputee will have access to this technology sometime in the future

[criscobabe]

I'm in tears. This is absolutely amazing what these brilliant people have designed and what they continue to accomplish.

[therapent]

Hopefully one day we'll look back at this technology the same way we look at computers from the 1970s

[invinsableizzy]

I look at this and i start to cry, i have never had a left arm. ive been bullied all my life and i am only 13. i want to be able to fold my arms or to twiddle my thumbs i cant wait for this arm to become a reality I might be able to achieve, but you'll only be lucky enough to be chosen for a project like this. Itll be close to impossible to afford. and then looking at the comments in this video is absolutely ridiculous, because "now its time to cut off my arm" is a terrible thing to say. i wish i had the chance to have an arm.

[yourjunes]

9:02 The emotion in his face is so strong. Pride, for her and his research. Relief, that he did not let her down. Hope, for a future he is creating. This is why scientists are my heroes, not celebrities' or politicians.

[NaiveDreamer]

7:30 they all are so calm about the fact that SHE IS MOVING BIONIC ARM THAT EVEN ISN'T ATTACHED TO HER BODY

[PersonalizedKaraoke]

While watching this, I look at my arm, moving it, feeling it, and said to my self, boy im so lucky your still attached to me.

[tjpld]

I wonder how far this will progress in the next 30 years.

[skullkid]

we will watch this video again in 2150 and say "bro why they making a big deal outa that i can just buy it for like $2 at Walmart"

[zevac]

Did they improve on anything yet? Or make this more affordable? It's been nearly 5 years and this seems to be the only video with an arm this advanced