John Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory will soon begin clinical trials of the Modular Prosthetic Limb, a bionic arm controlled directly by a patient’s thoughts. The first trial will be within the year.
The final design - the MPL - offers 22 degrees of motion, including independent movement of each finger, in a package that weighs about nine pounds (the weight of a natural limb). Providing nearly as much dexterity as a natural limb, the MPL is capable of unprecedented mechanical agility and is designed to respond to a user's thoughts.