Wings, tentacles and extra limbs in development after ‘Third Thumb’ success

Researchers reported that wearers increasingly felt like the thumb was part of their own body and were able to use it even while blindfolded or distracted.

Brain scans before and after the training showed changes to brain patterns in areas involved with controlling the hands.

Professor Tamar Makin, an expert in cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, said the brain had shown an “extraordinary” ability to adapt to the challenges of controlling a new body part.

She said: “When we work with technology for substitution, like prosthetic limbs, the aim is pretty straightforward.

“But in augmentation, I want you to continue to use your body to its fullest capacity and on top of that, give you an extra body part.

“We are also worried about what we call the resource reallocation problem – what if I’m stealing resources from the feet in order to give one to the hands?”

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1741096/third-thumb-wings-tentacles-science-human-augmentation