Six Million Dollar Man moves step closer to medical reality

Dennis Sorensen, from Denmark, was able to feel the shape and texture of objects using the robot left hand connected by ultra-fine electrodes to nerves in his upper left arm.

The development brings ideas once only suitable for science fiction television such as the 1970s hit Six Million Dollar Man a step closer to becoming reality.

“The sensory feedback was incredible,” said Mr Sorenson, who spent a month trying out the hand. “I could feel things that I hadn’t been able to feel in over nine years.

“When I held an object, I could feel if it was soft or hard, round or square.”

Mr Sorensen, who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident on a family holiday, was taking part in a trial in Rome conducted by the Swiss and Italian scientists who developed the experimental prosthetic hand.

The artificial hand detects information about touch using electrical signals from artificial tendons controlling finger movement. Fine wires send the digitally refined impulses to four electrodes implanted in the sensory ulnar and median nerves of the upper arm.

Dr Alastair Ritchie, lecturer in biomaterials and bioengineering at the University of Nottingham, said: “This is very interesting work, taking research in upper limb prosthetics into the next stage by adding sensory feedback.

“Our hands are one of our principal interfaces with the world, and in recent years we have seen real advances.

“This technology would enable the user to know how firmly they are gripping an object, which is vital for handling fragile objects - imagine picking up an egg without any feeling in your fingers.

“Another exciting aspect is the ability of the human brain to learn, allowing the user to become more proficient as he gains experience in using the prosthesis.