Bionic Arm In the Works. We Have the Technology.

Scientists working on the University of Utah's "Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009" are creating a BIONIC ARM -- a prosthetic arm that moves, grabs, points and flips the bird, controlled only by the wearer's thoughts like a REAL ARM. The core technology under development is a "peripheral nerve interface," which is an implant that would pick up nerve signals and transmit them to a computer worn on a belt. The computer interprets the nerve signals and sends commands to the arm in real-time. A prototype should be ready within four years. The research, of course, is funded by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a.k.a. DARPA. Here's the incredible part: Current funding is about $55 million, which by 2010 (the year the prototype should be ready) would be about six million dollars in 1974 (the year "The Six Million Dollar Man" TV series launched) adjusted for inflation.