Free arms for everyone!

I came across an interesting story the other day on slashdot about a guy, Jesse Sullivan, that had an accident when he was repairing a high-voltage power line. His doctor was able to save four of the main nerves that run down his arm before amputating. He saved the nerves by putting them under the skin of his chest. The doctor then attached a mechanical hand and connected its wires to his chest, thus affecting the original saved nerves.

From the article: "Sullivan's prosthesis has a computer in the forearm that is wired to a mechanical hand and to a "plunger" device on his chest. The hand sends signals up the wires to the plunger, which pushes the skin. That stimulates the nerves in his chest to transmit sensations to the brain as if the nerves were still connected to his real hand." Read the story here.

The obvious reference to one Skywalker, Luke is readily apparent, but I think we will discover really cool ways of applying this technology. The discovery that we can (relatively) easily connect nerves with cables will undoubtedly lead to exciting stuff being made to 'hook up' to our bodies. Camera in the back of your head connected as a third eye, anyone?