Fully functional prosthetic limbs in near future?

Scientists have found that when they wire a robotic arm to a monkeys brain, the monkey can learn to control the arm as naturally as it does one of its own appendages. I first read of this in Scientific American a year or two ago. I was wondering why this technology hasnt been applied to prosthetic arms or legs, especially with all the soldiers who have lost limbs in the Iraq/Afghanistan war.

In Jeff Hawkins book "On Intelligence" the he describes the neocortex as being extremely adaptable to new sensory inputs. Would it be possible to wire sensors in a similar way so that the prosthetices might be able to detect temperature as well?


Monkey's brain signals control 'third arm'

www.newscientist.com...