@sciencemagazine: Last year, researchers followed up on their development of Third Thumb—a #robotic appendage that, when trialed by members of the general public, was a big hit. Their initial study in 2021 of 36 participants suggested that the human brain could readily adapt to the use of an extra thumb, but using the extra appendage could alter the relationship between the brain and the biological hand. Last year, the researchers described sharing the Third Thumb at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, allowing a group of 596 mixed gender, mixed handedness people between the ages of 3 and 96 to test out the device’s fit, control, and successful operation. Ninety-eight percent of participants were able to manipulate objects successfully during the first minute of use, with no significant differences due to gender, handedness, or hobbies involving the hands. Children ages 11 or younger had poorer performance when using the Third Thumb, and there were some age costs to performance among older adults. #ScienceTok #STEM 🎥: CLODE ET AL./SCIENCE ROBOTICS

Science Magazine

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Thursday 23 January 2025 18:19:25 GMT