A quadriplegic woman (paralysedfrom the neck down) can operate a robotic arm using her thoughts alone.
Jan Scheuermann, 52, diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder 13 years ago,smiled after weeks of training enabled her to carry out simple tasks with herhand.
The training was aimed at achieving skills in nine tasks such as gripping andmoving small objects, stacking cones and bumping a ball so that it rolledoutside a loose coil of wire.
Experts say she has been able to operate the robotic arm with a level ofcontrol and fluidity never seen before in such technology, the Telegraphreports.
Andrew Schwartz, professor of neurobiology at Pittsburgh University, US, said:"We were blown away by how fast she was able to acquire her skill. Thatwas completely unexpected. At the end of a good day, when she was making thesebeautiful movements, she was ecstatic."
It is being hailed as a remarkable step forward for prosthetics controlleddirectly by the brain. Other systems have already allowed paralysed patients totype or write in freehand simply by thinking about the letters they want.