More than a decade after a car accident paralyzed his body, 30-year-old Nathan Copeland could actually feel when President Obama shook his hand.
How? Copeland’s robotic arm — the first with a sense of touch — can move and send feedback directly to his mind. Tiny chips embedded in Copeland’s brain, smaller than grains of sand, create sensations. “Sometimes it feels electrical, and sometimes it’s pressure,” Copeland said.
“What a story,” said Obama, stopping by to see Copeland — and share a fist bump — at an event highlighting the frontiers of medicine and science at the University of Pittsburgh.
Watch it for yourself:
WATCH: A paralyzed man uses his mind-controlled robotic hand to shake hands and fist-bump with Pres. Obama at a Pittsburgh tech event. pic.twitter.com/OM3M2RRnrU
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) October 13, 2016
This story draws on reports from the Associated Press.
