Science is Fun Fridays!
A recent experiment studied people learning to use a specially designed robotic "third thumb." Not only did they manage with ease, but their brains quickly adapted to the new skill as well.
The thumb is controlled using a wireless pressure sensor attached to the underside of the foot. The user applies a small amount of pressure under their big toe and the thumb contracts for grabbing.
20 participants were trained to use the thumb and then encouraged to use it at home to complete tasks, totaling 2-6 hours per day. Another 10 participants wore a static thumb.
Using an fMRI scanner, they asked them to move their fingers individually, and found a small but significant change to the way hand movement is represented in the sensorimotor cortex in those who had used the robotic thumb.
The changes did not persist once the participants stopped using the extra thumb, but the findings demonstrate our brain's amazing plasticity and capability to adapt to technological extensions of the body.
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