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ROME, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A lightweight bionic hand controlled by the brain soon could be ready for testing on people, scientists in Italy said.
Researchers at Rome's Biomedical University have begun looking for possible candidates for the Smart Hand, a light, flexible and strong prosthesis controlled by nerve impulses from the brain, biotechnologist Paolo Dario said.
The five-fingered stainless steel prosthesis weighs just 3.5 ounces more than an average adult hand -- far lighter than previous prototypes, ANSA reported Friday.
While the Smart Hand prototype responds well to nerve impulses which control limbs, the interface between the hand and the brain still needs much work, Dario said. In the final Smart Hand, a microchip implanted under the skin will act as a translator between the hand and the brain.
Developing the hand has been a "painstaking process" because of the complexity of the limb, said Dario, who has been working on the project since 1983.
"It was sort of like building a Formula One car," he said. "Every few weeks, we'd have a new part ready."
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