Luke Skywalker’s bionic hand is a step closer to reality: researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an ultrasonic sensor that allows amputees to control each of their prosthetic fingers individually. The first amputee to use it, a musician who lost part of his right arm five years ago, is now able to play the piano for the first time since his accident.



When Barnes tries to move his amputated ring finger, the muscle movements differ from those seen when he tries to move any other digit. Weinberg and the team fed each unique movement into an algorithm that can quickly determine which finger Barnes wants to move. The ultrasound signals and machine learning can detect continuous and simultaneous movements of each finger, as well as how much force he intends to use.

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Source: [H]ardOCP – Luke Skywalker Prosthesis Controls Fingers and Plays Piano