Ever wanted to take control of your (or better, sombody else’s) body via electrical signals, University of Tokyo’s research exprerimented about this.

The experimental device is actually called the PossessedHand, and controls your digits by shooting small electric currents into your wrist via electrodes strapped to your forearm. The PossessedHand runs on an Arduino micro-controller, and can auto calibrate itself to make sure it is twitching the corrects fingers and muscles inside your hand.

The theory is that the PossessedHand could be used to teach people to play musical instruments by training their fingers to move correctly. I’m not sure that this simple, mindless repetition would actually work without involving the brain. After all, “muscle memory” doesn’t actually reside in the muscles.

It could, however, have medical benefits, teaching patients to use their hands again after strokes or accidents, and it would make a great gag gift to freak people out at parties.

Just make sure that the controls don’t get into the wrong hands (pun intended). Otherwise you, like Ash, could end the being strangled by your own hand.

thanks to Francesco for the link, via [Wired] via [Psyorg] source [Reikimoto Lab]