Thought Controlled Bionic Arm [Edit]

Medical researches have installed the world’s fourth thought controlled bionic arm.  This sets the stage for dozens of innovative applications and brings hope to many.

From the Washington Post:
Claudia Mitchell, who lives in Ellicott City, is the fourth person—and first woman—to receive a “bionic” arm, which allows her to control parts of the device by her thoughts alone. The device, designed by physicians and engineers at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, works by detecting the movements of a chest muscle that has been rewired to the stumps of nerves that once went to her now-missing limb.

Now, Mitchell can peel a banana in a less simian posture. All she has to do is place her prosthetic left arm next to the banana and think about grabbing it. The mechanical hand closes around the fruit and she’s ready to peel.