Its motions are controlled by built-in electrodes, which detect the movements of the user's remaining arm muscles and interpret them using electromyography software.
[7] The Michelangelo Hand is capable of moving with enough precision to conduct delicate tasks such as cooking, ironing, and opening a toothpaste tube,[1] but can also exert enough strength to use an automobile's steering wheel.
[2] Austrian electrician Patrick Mayrhofer suffered serious injuries to his hands at the age of 20 when he touched a 6000-volt power line in February 2008.
[12] Having started para-snowboarding in 2012,[5][9] Mayrhofer was named Paralympic Austrian Sports Personality of the Year[10] after winning a gold medal in banked slalom at the 2015 Para-Snowboard World Championships[13] He went on to win the Paralympic silver medal in banked slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
[14] Numerous American soldiers who suffered limb amputation in combat have received Michelangelo Hands since 2011.