[Science World] When Will the ‘Artificial Body’ Controlled by Thought Appear?

Prosthetic devices such as artificial legs and arms are essential for people who have lost parts of their bodies due to accidents, but the current technology still feels somewhat insufficient. Recently, efforts have been ongoing to alleviate these issues to some extent by utilizing advancing biomedical engineering technologies.

In reality, the approach taken is for the person to become accustomed to the movements of the mechanical device. In the case of prosthetic legs, most contain springs inside, and the ankle, which extends with each step, automatically folds due to the spring's force. If the user times their steps accordingly, it appears at a glance as if they are walking naturally. However, it remains difficult to perform complex activities such as hiking or cycling. There are also expensive robotic prosthetic legs that use electric motors, but since they do not always move according to the user's intent, fundamental inconveniences are hard to resolve.

Efforts to alleviate these problems to some extent by utilizing advancing biomedical engineering technologies have been ongoing recently. The primary focus is on interpreting human brainwaves. Methods are also being developed to directly connect the electrical circuits of robotic arms to the nerves remaining in the arms or legs. Adding artificial intelligence (AI) to this allows for even more capabilities.

For example, BrainCo, a U.S.-based biomedical engineering company, developed a robotic prosthetic arm that analyzes both brainwaves and electromyographic signals from the arm simultaneously. Using AI, it analyzes brainwaves and muscle signals to predict movements. In other words, the more the user practices, the more tasks they can perform. Since some successful cases have been reported, practical application is expected to become possible surprisingly quickly. Prosthetic legs and arms that move just by thinking are already very close to reality.

This alone is somewhat insufficient. To realize complete artificial body technology, the final challenge of ‘tactile sensation’ must be solved. This is because humans always use skin sensation when moving. To achieve this, stimuli detected through artificial skin must be sent back to the nerves, and since the human nervous system also uses electrical signals, this does not seem to be an impossible area. Accordingly, many researchers are experimenting with various ideas to develop tactile sensors that can be used in robots, prosthetic arms, and legs. However, it appears that a considerable amount of time will still be needed before these ultimate prosthetic legs and arms become practical.

Jeon Seung-min, Science and Technology Writer

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.