Unrivalled control of a robotic arm has been achieved using a paralysed woman's thoughts, a US study says.

Jan, who is 53 and paralysed from the neck down, was able to deftly pick up, move and place a variety of objects in a manner similar to a normal arm.

Brain implants were used to control the robotic arm, in the study reported in the Lancet medical journal.

Experts in the field said it was an "unprecedented performance" and a "remarkable achievement".

A hundred tiny needles on each sensor pick up the electrical activity from about 200 individual brain cells.

The pulses of electricity in the brain are then translated into commands to move the arm, which bends at the elbow, wrist and could grab an object.

The report said she gained "co-ordination, skill and speed almost similar to that of an able-bodied person" by the end of the study.


Prof Schwartz told the BBC that movements this good had not been achieved before.

"They're fluid and they're way better, I don't know how to say it any other way, they're way better than anything that's been demonstrated before.

There are also attempts to give sensation to the prosthetic arms to restore a sense of touch.

Researchers are now trying to mount the arm on Jan's wheelchair so she will be able to use it in her everyday life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20731973