00:03Sometimes it would be really nice to have another hand, and soon that could be a very real possibility.
00:08This is part of a new extra limb testing program being used by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of
00:14Technology.
00:15It started as a proof of concept, allowing users to don a VR headset and experience doing different tasks with
00:20a third arm, one controlled via the eyes and breathing.
00:23And they have found that not only can users warm up to a fifth appendage, but they can do so
00:28fairly effortlessly after a bit of practice.
00:30This is one of the researchers, Julia Damanajani, to explain.
00:34Eventually, we were able to implement the interface that we developed for the control of a real robotic arm.
00:40And what was extremely interesting to see was that both trained participants and naive participants performed similarly, again showing the
00:50intuitiveness of our control interface.
00:53They also conducted other experiments where participants controlled a computer mouse with muscles behind the ears, ones left unused by
01:00evolution.
01:00They say this could be a new way to empower those who can no longer use their limbs due to
01:04illness or injuries, but they're not stopping there.
01:07They also believe this tech will be useful to everyone, giving individuals extraordinary abilities by literally giving them a hand.
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