Scientists have developed a mind-controlled robotic hand that allows people with certain types of spinal injuries to perform everyday tasks such as using a fork or drinking from a cup.
The low-cost device was tested in Spain on six people with quadriplegia affecting their ability to grasp or manipulate objects.
By wearing a cap that measures electric brain activity and eye movement the users were able to send signals to a tablet computer that controlled the glove-like device attached to their hand.
Participants in the small-scale study were able to perform daily activities better with the robotic hand than without, according to results published on Tuesday in the journal Science Robotics.
The principle of using brain-controlled robotic aids to assist people with quadriplegia isn't new. But many existing systems require implants which can cause health problems, or use wet gel to transmit signals from the scalp to the electrodes which makes it impractical in daily life.
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"The participants who had previously expressed difficulty in performing everyday tasks without assistance rated the system as reliable and practical, and did not indicate any discomfort during or after use," the researchers said.
It took participants 10 minutes to learn how to use the system before they were able to carry out tasks such as picking up potato chips or signing a document.
Lead author of the study and neuroscientist at the University Hospital Tuebingen in Germany, Surjo R. Soekadar, says participants represented typical people with high spinal cord injuries, meaning they were able to move their shoulders but not their fingers.
Limitations with the system meant users had to have sufficient function in their shoulder and arm to reach out with the robotic hand, while mounting the system required another person's help.
Jan Schwab, an expert on spinal cord injury at Berlin's Charite hospital who wasn't involved in the research, called it an interesting pilot study that needed follow up with further clinical tests, but Soekadar says the system could be brought to market within two years.
