Doctors are getting closer to biological hands thanks to special surgery and AI

A remarkable video shows a woman using a bionic arm so sensitive that she can pick up a screwdriver and a coin using just the power of her thoughts.

The Swede, known only as Karin, suffered a devastating farming accident 20 years ago that claimed her right arm.

For the past two decades, she has endured terrible pain in her limbs, making her feel like she was "constantly putting my hand through a meat grinder".

Karin also found conventional prosthetics uncomfortable and unreliable.

Hoping to create an alternative that would attach completely to the stump and provide better range of motion, a team of engineers and surgeons from Sweden, Australia, Italy and the United States developed develop an improved prosthetic.

Two titanium pins were permanently inserted into his bones to serve as the connection point between the arm and the prosthetic leg.

This type of surgery – called osseointegration – is key to a new biotechnology developed by Prensilia, an Italian prosthetics company.

It replaces the need for a socket to secure the amputee's limb to their prosthesis, which can be uncomfortable, ill-fitting, and difficult to put on and take off.

Electrodes are then implanted into the nerves and muscles of the severed arm and connected to the arm.

As a result, the device can pick up signals from its motor commands – the biological processes that trigger the body's movements.

Actions such as picking up a glass or pulling a suitcase will then be performed in real time, aiming to make the amputee's daily life easier.

Karin's surgery took place "many years ago" but has only now been presented by experts.

Speaking about her phantom limb pain, a phenomenon that puzzled doctors, she said:

“I felt like I was constantly using my hands in a meat grinder, which created high levels of stress and I had to take high doses of painkillers.

“For me, this research means a lot because it gives me a better life.”

Currently, the NHS does not fund the use of the advanced bionic arm attached to Karin.

However, NHS England announced last November that dozens of amputees will now have access to biosimilar arms, capable of mimicking real-life hand movements.

Previously, prosthetics supplied on the NHS were basic models, with limited opening and closing movements. Others are just aesthetic and have no practical function.

Experts say the bionic arm - estimated to cost between £25,000 and £80,000 - can be used from as young as nine years old. Eligible patients must have enough muscle in their upper arms to send signals that create visual movements.

Professor Max Ortiz Catalan, from the Bionics Institute in Australia, said:

“Karin is the first below-the-elbow amputee to benefit from this new concept of a highly integrated bionic hand that can be used independently and reliably in everyday life.”

“The fact that she was able to use the prosthesis comfortably and effectively in daily activities for many years is a promising demonstration of the potential life-changing capabilities of this new technology for people facing limb loss.

Meanwhile, Professor Rickard Brånemark, associate professor at the University of Gothenburg who led the operation, said Karin's results "mark an important milestone for the entire field of advanced limb reconstruction".