Biosensor armband could control prosthetics

Built at the University of California, Berkeley, the system recognises hand gestures based on 64 different electrical signals in the forearm. These signals are then fed into a chip programmed with an AI algorithm that translates them into corresponding movements of the hand and arm. As well as potential applications in prosthetics, the device could also be used as a tool for humans to interact with computers, according to the Berkeley team. The work is published in Nature Electronics.

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"Prosthetics are one important application of this technology, but besides that, it also offers a very intuitive way of communicating with computers," said Ali Moin, a doctoral student in UC Berkeley's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences.

"Reading hand gestures is one way of improving human-computer interaction. And, while there are other ways of doing that, by, for instance, using cameras and computer vision, this is a good solution that also maintains an individual's privacy."