An artificial hand almost as good as the real one

Vienna

EUROPEAN surgeons and engineers have devised a mind-controlled bionic hand that restores function almost as well as a flesh-and-blood transplant, but without the risk of rejection, a research paper said on Wednesday.

The three Austrian beneficiaries of the unprecedented technique had suffered injuries in car and climbing accidents to the "brachial plexus" - a network of nerves running from the spine to the upper limbs.

This type of injury is like a sort of "inner amputation", irreversibly separating the hand fro…