The thought of humans having wings, tentacles or an extra arm may all seem rather unlikely. But these scenarios could actually become reality in the next few decades, thanks to leaps in human augmentation. Researchers have already designed a'Third Thumb' controlled by foot movements, which allows the wearer to unscrew a bottle, peel a banana or thread a needle using just one hand. Now, experts believe the thumb is just a first step towards larger, more dramatic additions to the human body. Tamar Makin, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, said the brain's ability to adapt to an extra limb was'extraordinary'.

Scientists have created an inflatable robotic hand that costs a fraction of more rigid prosthetic limbs and gives amputees real-time tactile control. The pliable design, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the inflatable robot in the animated film'Big Hero 6', includes five balloon-like fingers attached to a 3D-printed'palm' shaped like a human hand. Its creators are particularly excited because the parts cost around $500 (£362), making it much more affordable than other bionic limbs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The pliable design includes five balloon-like fingers attached to a 3D-printed'palm' shaped like a human hand Prosthetics that attach to part of the human body are often objects that allow a person to perform a specific function - such as blades for running. Scientists are working to develop prosthetics that are personalised and respond to the commands of the wearer.

Pianists who have been fitted with a third robotic thumb are able to adjust their playing style to suit their new 11 digits in just an hour, according to researchers. To determine how well human motor control capabilities cope with augmented limbs, a team from Imperial College London strapped a robot thumb to a pianist. The'third thumb' is strapped to a user's hand next to the little finger and controlled by electrical signals generated when the pianist moves their foot. To test how useful this extra limb is, the team, led by Aldo Faisal, recruited six experienced pianists and six people who didn't play the piano. They found that the volunteer pianists were able to learn to play the piano with 11 digits rather than 10 within an hour of being shown how to use the extra thumb regardless of their experience with the piano itself.

Scientists have developed a robotic 3D-printed'third thumb' that's controlled using pressure sensors on the underside of the big toes. The thumb, created by a researcher at University College London (UCL), is worn on the side of the hand opposite the actual thumb, near the little finger. In trials, researchers found the human brain can adapt to the use of an extra thumb, but that it may alter the relationship between the brain and the biological hand. Volunteers who were fitted with the third thumb effectively carried out dexterous tasks, like building a tower of blocks, with one hand, researchers found. Having a third thumb could let people carry more objects than usual, hold and open a bottle of soft drink with one hand, or even become a maestro on the guitar.

A Texan man has built his own bionic hand using artificial intelligence (AI) after three years of research. After finding most bionic hands can cost up to $150,000, Ryan Saavedra, 27, set out to create one at a fraction of the cost. The prosthetic he created, called the Globally Available Robotic Arm (GARA), measures electrical activity of muscle tissue – a method called electromyography (EMG) – and combines this with AI to predict hand movements. When attached to the limb of an amputee, it is capable of intuitive finger movements and clasping objects such as cups. Saavedra's company, Alt-Bionics, has already made a prototype that costs less than $700 (£520) to produce, and is now working to commercialise the device.