Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have built the first ever mind-controlled robotic prosthetics.

The key difference in this prosthetic is that it's surgically implanted so it can be controlled by the person's biological nerves and muscles.

This means the prosthetic can be controlled quite naturally. As in a normal body, nerves and muscles send signals to the prosthetic so it can move.

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Max Ortiz Catalan led the study and experimentation. They did their first test on a Swedish truck driver with an amputated arm.

In a paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers said the noteworthy thing about this new prosthetic is how deeply the neuromuscular interfaces are implanted.

The prosthetic is attached directly to the person's skeleton in an implant process called osseointegration. Only a titanium implant is actually attached to the bone, giving the patient the option to take off the implant to have much better movement.

The freedom of movement comes from the lack of the cup-like socket used by conventional prosthetics.

Researchers reported on the Swedish truck driver, stating the patient has been using the arm ever since the procedure. There have been no complications and the components are still "implanted indefinitely."

The patient also reports a slew of benefits from the new prosthetic. For one, he has more refined control with his arm, allowing him to gently grip small things like eggs.

Other than that, chief among the benefits is how the prosthetic communicates with the brain as well, allowing the patient to feel through his prostheses.

The authors commented that ""by incorporating signal feed through mechanisms into the osseointegrated implant system, long-term communication between the artificial limb and implanted neuromuscular interfaces is possible."

Catalan says communication between the prosthetic and the body has been the missing link. 

TagsChalmers University of Technology, Max Ortiz Catalan, Science Translational Medicine, Mind-controlled prosthetics