British scientists have developed anartificial hand that is as deft at handling objects as a real one. HomerRahnejat and Russel Speight of theBradford University in northernEngland, in association with MediMehdian of the Greenwich University, London, have constructed aprototype hand that has 16 degreesof freedom, enabling it to move aswell as a human hand.
Says Rahnejat, "We hope todesign a neuro-synthesiser that canconvey signals to the artificial handin a form it can interpret mechanically, so that the wearer of the handhas only to think of the action he wants to perform."