Robotic prosthetic permits wearer to do the duties of two fingers with only one
Scientists have created a robotic prosthetic that enables the wearer to carry out tasks which would usually take two hands to do, with just one.
Called the Third Thumb, the extra digit attaches to the edge of the right hand and lets the user open drink bottles, peel a banana and even thread a needle with just one hand.
It also allows for the user to multitask better, say for parents who are cooking while holding a baby.
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The Third Thumb is worn on the opposite side of the palm to the wearer’s actual thumb and is controlled by a pressure sensor placed under each big toe.
(Image: Cambridge University)
These toe sensors are wirelessly connected to the thumb and control different movements by responding to subtle changes in pressure.
A study by the University of Cambridge revealed volunteers quickly adapted to having the extra digit, which scientists say could “advance our motor capabilities beyond current biological limitations”.
(Image: Dani Clode Design & The Plasticity Lab/Cambridge University)
Participants were tasked with carrying out small tasks that required fine motor skills such as putting pegs into a basket and moving objects. The study found 98% of volunteers were able to move the thumb within the first minute of use.
Researchers at the university’s MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit believe the prosthetic could be particularly useful to amputees who have difficulty carrying out everyday tasks with just one hand, reports MailOnline.
(Image: Dani Clode Design & The Plasticity Lab/Cambridge University)
Study author Lucy Dowdall said: “’Our everyday lives are already consumed by wearable technologies and we are now seeing an increasing number of specifically augmented technologies be developed.”
“The Third Thumb can be used to extend the function of the hand – so any task the reacquires carrying multiple objects at a time, or stabilising one item whilst performing a task with another.”
The Third Thumb was first revealed by researcher Dani Clode as part of an award-winning graduate project at the Royal College of Art back in 2017.
(Image: Dani Clode / SWNS)
Previously, Tamar Makin, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, told the Daily Mail that the brain’s ability to adapt to an extra limb was “extraordinary”.
She added that much of the technology required to build incredible “add-ons” for the human body, such as wings or tentacles, already exists.
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