World News for Students of English

01-06-2022 15:00

Japanese researchers and the French National Center for Scientific Research co-developed a robotic sixth finger.

You wear the finger next to the pinkie, and the aim is to study the brain’s reaction to new and independent body parts. Scientists already know that we move our own body with our brain, and now, they want to find out if our brain can adapt to a new body part. The research started because they were interested to study if the brain will accept the sixth finger or not use the finger for convenience.

Sensors measure electrical signals from muscles, and they then transfer them to a motor to control the robotic finger. Researchers say that the sixth finger can enhance daily human activities such as typing and carrying more objects. Scientists say that if this technology develops, one day, people may be able to freely design their bodies. An example is glasses that are an accessory and functional, too.

Difficult words: pinkie (the smallest finger on the hand), convenience (useful, helpful, or easy to use), enhance (to improve the quality or value of something).

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