Bionic implant

‘Bionic’ devices that produce functional hand and arm movement through electrical stimulation have been fitted to the arm of a stroke patient at the University of Southampton.

Similar devices have been implanted in patients’ arms or shoulders in the US, Canada and Japan, but this is the first time that the operation has taken place in the UK to achieve a coordinated hand and arm movement.

The fitting of the device is the latest stage in a long-term experimental research study by the University of Southampton in partnership with the Alfred Mann Foundation (AMF), a non-profit medical research organisation in the US.

The study is exploring the feasibility of using radio frequency microstimulator (AMF RF microstimulator) electrical stimulation devices to improve motor recovery and re-learning of arm and hand function following stroke.

The cylindrical microstimulators measure 1.7 centimetres long and 2.4 millimetres in diameter. They can be injected into the body through a small incision and are implanted next to a nerve or adjacent to a muscle at the motor point near to where the nerve attaches. Once implanted, the microstimulators receive power and stimulation commands via a link from a radio frequency coil fitted to the arm, which is in turn connected to a control unit.