Bone In The Fan

What would you do with a third arm? I know my answer.

The New York Times has is reporting on Wednesday’s article in Nature about researchers that have developed a brain implant that allows monkeys to operate a robotic arm via thought.  Now, let me be clear; this isn’t an artificial limb that has replaced a missing arm.  The monkeys still have all of their regular monkey-arms and monkey-legs (which are gently restrained during the tests). This is a completely separate mechanical arm, controlled independently of their built-in monkey-appendages.  If you watch the video (link below), you can see one little fella moving both hairy arms while using the robot arm to feed himself.

This is without doubt one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen (and strangely creepy, too).  Just take two seconds and try to image how you might control a third arm if you had one growing out of, say, your chest.  Not what you’d do with it (obvious) but how the hell you’d control it.  For me, it’s impossible to even conceptualize, so the fact that Curious George there is able to pull it off is beyond cool.

Now take two more seconds to think about the implications of this for people who don’t have use of their arms or legs and might be able to do things they were sure would never be possible.  Or even more incredible, imagine the possibility that zoo monkeys might one day be able to eat, masturbate and throw their feces at you all at once.

Truly amazing.

Monkey Movie Link.

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