When James Edward Hanger lost a leg in the American Civil War, he returned home to Virginia and designed the world's first articulated prosthetic that could bend like a real leg.

Researchers at Duke University have made initial steps toward creating artificial limbs that can not only move like real limbs, but also sense touch. Electrodes were implanted into both the motor and sensory areas of the brains of two...

Hosted by NSF's Dena Headlee, Science Now is a weekly newscast covering some of the latest in NSF-funded innovation and advances across all areas and disciplines, from astronomy to zoology. This fast paced, news round-up reports many of...

3D-printed prosthetic limbs are being tested by Médecins Sans Frontières to help people who have lost limbs in the war in Syria. The new technology is cheaper and faster than conventional methods and could revolutionise treatment of...

Research engineers and students in the University of California, Los Angeles, Biomechatronics Lab are designing artificial limbs to be more sensational, with the emphasis on sensation. With support from the National Science Foundation,...

By copying the body, how can future prosthetics help people? How have prosthetic designs improved? How do myoelectric signals work with prosthetics? How can more young people become interested in this field?

Transforming Lives With...

In this week's episode, we explore cockroaches that provide clues to better locomotion, virtual reality therapy, and distant galaxies seen from the South Pole

New NSF Science Now Video: From cosmic discoveries to lessons from cockroaches to advances in virtual reality. Check out this week's episode.