Double Amputee Becomes The First Person With Two Mind-Controlled Robotic Arms

Ephraim Batambuze III December 19, 2014

Less than a minute

After losing both his arms in an electric accident 40 years ago, Les Baugh has become the first man to wear and control two robotic limbs simply by thinking about them.

Baugh visited Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in June for two weeks as part of the company’s research to improve its modular prosthetic limbs (MPL). But before he could actually wear the contraption, he needed to undergo a unique kind of surgery, called targeted muscle innervation.

The procedure is relatively new, and it “reassigns nerves that once controlled the arm and the hand.” This would allow Baugh to control his new limbs just by thinking about the action he wants them to perform.

According to the APL, Baugh was fitted with custom sockets for his shoulders and torso so he could support the arms. After plenty of tests, Baugh was ready to use the finished product: “I just went into a whole different world,” he told the APL.

See the video below for details.