December 17, 2012 | Rohan

Sci-fi films have promised us robotic prosthetics for decades, but it looks like the real deal might be right round the corner.

Researchers in Pittsburgh have connected a paralysed woman’s brain to a mechanical arm, and she can control it by thought alone. Two tiny sensors detect electrical signals in the brain, and from these a computer generates movements for the arm.

The basic idea isn’t too new, but the level of control the patient has achieved is amazing!