Robotic hand exoskeleton lets quadriplegic people use cutlery

Robotics lends a helping hand. Using a brain-controlled exoskeleton, six paralysed people regained the ability to do everyday tasks such as using cutlery or signing documents. The system required no surgery and is mobile enough to use outside a laboratory. "The patients were amazed by what they could do with the system," says Surjo Soekadar from the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany. "Previously, they couldn't have a meal with a knife and fork, so changing that was amazing for them."