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Dexterous and light prosthetic hand can tie knots and comb hair

A prosthetic hand that weighs about half that of a human hand also enables wearers to carry out intricate tasks, such as tying knots

By Alex Wilkins

7 February 2025

A woman with a hand amputation picking an object up while wearing the prosthetic

A woman with a hand amputation wore the prosthetic for several hours, which enabled her to pick objects up

Hao Yang/University of Science and Technology of China

A lightweight prosthetic hand that can move almost as freely as a human hand can help wearers carry out intricate tasks, such as tying knots, combing hair and playing chess.

To replicate the dexterity of a human hand, most commercial prosthetics use electric motors or compressed air systems, which can make the system heavy and uncomfortable to wear for too long.

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