Phone Sensor Could Control Prosthetic Limbs

A new version of the motion sensor inside your smartphone may double as a biological implant that could control prosthetic limbs and other artificial body parts, say researchers at Tel Aviv University.

Those sensors are usually made with silicon, but the Tel Aviv team used a 3D printer to produce its own organic, non-toxic polymer. The result is a rubbery device about the size of a stamp and the width of a hair that can be put inside people. Once implanted, the sensor could convert nerve impulses to movement in a bionic arm or leg, normalize urination for those paralyzed below the waist, and perform other biological functions. Read more...