Man With Mind-controlled Prosthetic Arm Dies in Car Accident

Christian Kandlbauer lost both of his arms in an accident several years ago. Thanks to a specially-designed mind-controlled prosthetic arm, the 22-year-old Austrian had been able to drive his car since 2006 -- until a car accident on Tuesday sent him to the hospital. He died two days later. 

Doctors say it's unclear whether the accident was caused by problems with Kandlbauer's mind-controlled robotic prosthesis. 

Kandlbauer is thought to have been the first person in the world to receive a mind-controlled bionic arm.

First Patient in Europe Recieves Mind-control Prosthetic Arm

Four years ago, a 21-year-old Australian man lost both his arms after being electrocuted by 20,000 volts. Now he is able to control all of the joints in his left prosthetic arm by merely thinking about what he wants his arm to do, reported the BBC.

Otto Bock Healthcare, developers of the mind-controlled arm, say it is the first project of its kind in Europe.

Surgeons at Vienna General Hospital transplanted the nerves that previously controlled his healthy limb to the chest muscles.

The transplanted nerves allow electrical impulses from the brain to reach the muscles in the chest. The muscles act like a booster, amplifying the signal to a level that can be picked up by electrodes on the surface of the chest.

These signals are interpreted by a micro-computer, and used to control a prosthesis, which responds in real time to thoughts from his brain.