Upgrade Your Hand With This Extra Thumb

Have you ever thought about using an extra thumb? Perhaps you could play the guitar faster, or hold an extra tool as you continue to work? Well think no more, as Dani Clode has invented just that. We took a trip down to the University of Cambridge, where she collaborates with neuroscientist Tamar Makin to unravel the mysteries of how this extra thumb influences the brain.

Dani envisions a future where augmentation becomes a reality and the third thumb serves as a tool to enhance the capabilities of regular individuals. She also explores the impact this additional thumb can have on daily tasks and cognitive functions. We explore the potential applications of the third thumb, by getting our filmmaker Stuart to test it out and see how it affects his brain by putting him in an MRI to test its functions.

This is the story of Dani Clode’s third thumb and the transformative potential it holds for the future!

#Technology #Thumb #Neuroscience

00:00 Intro
00:20 What is the Third Thumb?
00:54 Where did the idea come from?
02:28 Letting the crew try the Third Thumb
04:08 The science behind the Third Thumb
05:10 Vision of the Third Thumb
05:49 Do our crew have any brain activity?
06:40 Dani the rockstar
07:30 Bloopers

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[GreatBigStory]

A 3D printed thumb is insane right?! 🤯 What other scientific inventions would you love to see in the future? 👀👇

[ThoughtWellness]

I have no other option but to give this two thumbs up

[MrVinB]

That's one way to make AI art more realistic.

[sarahkittle]

These people really need to collaborate with the woman who made the mind-controller for video games. Imagine the prosthetics we could make with that!!

[ShuklaAayushi]

Easy to use, easy to attach. This is a neat implementation for the initial idea. Good work! I would be looking forward to the creator's ideas and inventions.

[drbadia]

Fascinating. As a Hand Surgeon, who focuses much on basal joint arthritis, of the thumb, this certainly can help those patients although my focus remains on eliminating that pain and helping the excellent thumb we already have.

[willcookmakeup]

Omg this is so cool to see Dani in a video 5 years later. I remember first seeing her around 5 or 6 years ago on Bloomberg, insider or maybe buzzfeed showing her invention in early stages. It's awesome to see her still in the field and the commitment she's made to stay in it.


Admittedly, at the time of first upload this tech was kinda new and I was a bit skeptical. I'm happy to report today, I could not be more happy to have been proven wrong :))

[UserAme]

1950s: In the future, I believe there will be a flying car.
2023: Haha, extra thumb.

[fireaza]

Anyone who has used VR can attest to how flexible the human brain is at augmentations. I constantly try to turn around my real body using VR controls if I've gotten turned around and now the cable is rubbing against my leg.

[ghstmnstr]

She is so invested. You can tell she's all in.

[psudologue]

Can you imagine if this becomes normal in twenty years? Everyone walking around with extra digits.

[ericlotze]

Is the Design Open Source? If not can it be released under a CC License?

I would LOVE to print one, and collaboration can push all this forward!

[brimmed]

I'm not going to lie, I'm usually a snobby engineer that would look down on arts students (mostly jokingly) but this just opened up my eyes to so much more. Thank you GBS and Dani

[ninjanerdstudent]

I wonder how long it would take for the brain to fully learn to coordinate the new thumb with an existing hand. I also wonder how removal of the new thumb will feel afterwards.

[denalozecon]

This could be mass produced today with a few design tweaks; slightly stretchy gloves in a few general sizes...so they stretch to firmly fit. And a liquid and dust resistant cover over the Robotic Thumbs so they are fairly easy to clean. Using a Brain Scanner to control a Mouse Cursor or some mechanical device does work...but takes dozens of hours per person to learn what the Brain Scanner is sensing specifically...then put part of the brain in the one or a few states that correspond to Left/Right Motions, Up/Down Motions, Left Mouse Click or Click and Hold, Right Mouse Click or Click and Hold, etc. So it works but there is a long learning process for both the Human and the Computer Program to 'understand' or to react predictably to specific Brain States.
But this?
Most Humans who are not paralyzed from injury, can reliably move their Big Toes individually and reasonably precisely around the time they learn to stand up and walk. So the mass produced version of this 'extra thumb' could be sold as one cheaper version of what is shown since it's mass produced; a 'glove with electromechanical actuators for the extra thumb' + a sock that very precisely measures motion and relative position of one Big Toe. Or the more expensive version would be one extra thumb for each hand...linked to the right Big Toe for the Extra Right Thumb, and linked to the Left Big Toe for the Extra Left Thumb.
But there is another market for this idea; anyone missing a hand could have one sensor on one Big Toe, and another on their other Big Toe. Moving Big Toes would control two fingers as a single action; apposing fingers for a new cheaper and easier to learn way to control prosthetic hand/fingers. It will take multiple product generations to get something I am trying to describe that is at a middle class cost...but this is such a straightforward idea that High School Robotics Clubs could try to make their own version of it, so in 20 years there should be some very cool versions.

[tommyfox]

I've been writing a fantasy book where one of the races in it actually does have two thumbs on each hand, and this video just gave me a WHOLE lot of context too not only how would that race grab and interact with things with their extra thumb, but also how the brain will work with it and a great opportunity for me too personally see what it's like (quick explanation too why I mentioned the brain for a fantasy book; while I was aiming for straight fantasy, I somehow ended up marrying fantasy and sci-fi together for it. That's why I mentioned the brain.). Thank you Great Big Story for uploading this video and thank you YouTube Recommendations for suggesting this video. =) Have a nice day everyone. =)

[amarug]

Haha funny but really clever idea! (And not really relevant for context, but I would just like to point out that I find the personal style of the designer absolutely epic)

[amigo]

O mundo precisa de mais cientistas malucos como essa mulher.

[andrewblack]

Some of us have used our feet like hands most of our life, so this toe control seems natural

[psychologicalprojectionist]

How many times have we felt we needed an extra hand?
This could be the next best thing.