WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Obama described how implants connect to neurons in Copeland’s brain so he can move his arm just by thinking about it.
"But that’s just the beginning," Obama said on Thursday. "Nathan is also the first person in human history who can feel with his prosthetic fingers."
Obama then described shaking hands with Copeland prior to speaking at a conference cosponsored by the White House, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
"He had a strong grip but he kind of toned it down," Obama stated. "And then we gave each other a fist bump."
Copeland still cannot feel with the thumb or experience hot and cold, but he can feel with precision, Obama explained, adding that researchers still have a long way to go.
The research was sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a little-known Pentagon agency that invented the Internet, night-vision goggles, satellite navigation and other breakthroughs.
DARPA began developing artificial limbs that are controlled by brain implants for US service members who were wounded in combat.
