Comment: Can you lend me a hand? Published on: 23 September 2026 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Alessia Noccaro discusses how researchers are developing wearable robotic limbs. , How many times have you asked someone to hold open a door while carrying something, or fumbled with your front-door keys with your arms full of shopping? Wouldn鈥檛 it be great if you could give yourself the extra hand you need? This is one of the goals of , a new and growing area of research that aims to beyond their natural limits. Within this field, are and artificial limbs that can be . These are known as supernumerary robotic limbs, or SRLs. Current SRLs are largely experimental, but in the future wearable robotic limbs could help in a range of areas. They could have an impact in manufacturing, healthcare, , music, arts, gaming and rehabilitation. Technology that boosts people鈥檚 physical and mental abilities is no longer the preserve of science fiction. In this new series, we explore cutting-edge ways that human capabilities could be augmented now and in the near future 鈥� and the ethics of these innovations. Unlike prostheses, SRLs increase the overall capacity of the human body, rather than restoring the capacity of a missing limb. If you鈥檙e familiar with the Marvel universe, think of 鈥� his mechanical arms are fictional examples of this type of technology. In the real world, scientists have created extra a little like Doc Ock鈥檚 (but benign) as well as additional and . These extra limbs don鈥檛 look or behave like actual human arms or legs. They鈥檙e combinations of rigid materials, motors and actuators 鈥� mechanical devices that produce force. They can be worn like a or . So far, they tend to be controlled using another body part, most often the foot. By using pedals or shoes fitted with sensors, a person can generate forces or make movements with their feet that are then translated into movements of a robotic limb. has also investigated using the muscles around the ears for control. Designers typically avoid using the arms and hands as controllers. This is to maximise the added capacity additional limbs provide. The Third Thumb has been developed by body augmentation designer Dani Clode in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. A common question is whether robotic limbs could be controlled by the brain. They aren鈥檛 yet, though scientists have explored the idea. When the brain sends electrical signals through the nerves to control muscles, only certain frequencies of those signals actually convey information that instructs movement. There is essentially in the body鈥檚 nervous signalling network. have if this spare capacity 鈥� independently of actual muscle movement and non-invasively 鈥� to control SRLs. Although promising, this approach has had a low success rate. Its complexity and the long calibration and training period needed for users probably makes it unsuitable. Two arms good, four arms better? Supernumerary robotic limbs are designed to provide something additional to the natural body. They should work alongside our natural limbs, without limiting their natural functions. The goal isn鈥檛 to create autonomous entities that can do a job in place of someone鈥檚 body. Rather, it鈥檚 to give people additional tools they can control and use. For example, you might one day wear a backpack with two robotic arms attached and use these to keep a ceiling panel in place while you screw it to the ceiling. Or you could have a belt with two extra legs to keep you stable in an unnatural position, leaving your hands free to fix something. Or you could have a sixth finger, which could allow you to open a bottle with one hand. These examples might seem science fiction, but and tested in the lab. Industrial uses are beginning to be explored. A might operate four surgical tools at the same time, for instance. Or a could immediately extract an earthquake victim while lifting debris, without needing to wait for support. An experimental four-armed surgical system, with two additional arms controlled with foot pedals. But for now, such uses remain ambitions. This field is still largely experimental, and the performance of SRLs is limited. Existing devices are often heavy, bulky and difficult to wear, and their speed is usually limited for safety. Learning to use them well also takes a lot of effort, especially as current control interfaces tend to be complex and unintuitive. That said, of how people respond to using supernumerary robotic limbs that they can learn the basics of controlling a third arm or sixth finger in less than an hour. Feedback in this learning process. Vibrating motors and electrodes that provide a small current can a robotic limb they鈥檙e controlling. This is crucial for motor learning: when you try to play tennis or the piano, your haptic senses play an important role in allowing your brain to learn the correct movement. The with a robotic limb. Sensory feedback is also essential for getting the brain to treat the SRL like it is part of the natural body. Despite the challenges of learning how to use them, research shows that people become more adept at using extra robotic limbs , and that the brain seems to these extra limbs to the point that it . This suggests there鈥檚 real future potential in the field. In the meantime, it鈥檚 important to raise awareness about human movement augmentation and SRLs specifically. Most people have no idea what human augmentation means or that these devices exist. Now that you know that they do, what would you use these limbs for? , Lecturer in Robotics and Mechatronics, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . Latest News Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns People鈥檚 online behaviour has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content 鈥� raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests. published on: 16 October 2026 缅北禁地 archaeologist receives prestigious award for research Professor Chris Fowler has been awarded the 2026 Rivers Memorial Medal in recognition of his internationally significant research on kinship in Neolithic Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Event will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East An event at 缅北禁地 will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East or whether it is simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Facts and figures
![缅北禁地 logo](/gomobileassets/img/logo.svg" "缅北禁地"){kind=logo}