Two Pakistani Engineers Create An Artificial Arm Controlled By Brain

Mohammad Awais and Anas Nazir, two Pakistani engineers have developed a prosthetic arm for disabled people that is controlled by the brain.

Prosthesis means, “to add to, or to put in addition.”

In simple words, prosthesis is artificial replacement of a part of the body such as eye, palate, hip, knee, leg, arm, etc.

While this is not new in the field of bio-robotics, it is something that scientists are still experimenting with.

In 2018, Johnny Matheny from US become the first person to actually live with an advanced mind-controlled robotic arm. It took $120 million to develop the arm.

How is the prosthetic arm controlled by the brain?

Your brain sends electrical signals to the spinal cord which through peripheral nerves passes them to your muscles. But if you have an amputated limb, your brain would still send signals but they would reach a dead end.

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So, this mind controlled prosthetic arm works by placing sensors at locations where brain sends signals.

As a result, a patient causes prosthetic arm to move just like a normal arm.

How did these two Pakistani engineers develop the artificial arm?

The two Pakistani engineers started working on the artificial arm during one of their university projects. They have helped around 30 disabled people in Pakistan so far.

How much did it cost?

The cost of this robotic arm is $2,000 which is around Rs 3 lacs.

Mohammad Awais and Anas Nazi ‘s future plans regarding bio-robotics include developing lower prosthetic limbs.