This Edinburgh Modular Arm System (EMAS) contains a powered shoulder, elbow, wrist rotator and hand. Photo courtesy: South-east Mobility and Rehabilitation Technology

The first successful bionic arm was created by a team of five bioengineers in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1993. The "Edinburgh Modular Arm System" uses microchips, position-controlled circuits, miniature motors, gears and pulleys. It rotates at the shoulder, bends at the elbow, rotates and twists at the wrist, and can grip using artificial fingers. The user wears a cap containing an array of microsensors that pick up the electrical pulses his brain is still sending to his missing arm muscles. These pulses then control each movement of the bionic arm.