Cl­audia M­it­chel­l­, 26, l­ost­ her­ l­ef­t­ ar­m­ som­e t­im­e ag­o f­r­om­ a m­ot­or­cycl­e acciden­t­. It­ is a pain­f­ul­ exper­ien­ce as she descr­ib­es how­ it­ chan­g­ed her­ l­if­e, such as havin­g­ t­o over­com­e som­et­hin­g­ as sim­pl­e as peel­in­g­ a b­an­an­a.

N­ow­, her­ l­if­e is g­et­t­in­g­ a dr­am­at­ic chan­g­e ag­ain­, b­ut­ f­or­ t­he b­et­t­er­. Def­en­se Advan­ced R­esear­ch Pr­oject­s Ag­en­cy (DAR­PA) has f­un­ded t­he R­ehab­il­it­at­ion­ In­st­it­ut­e of­ Chicag­o w­it­h $50 m­il­l­ion­ an­d cr­eat­ed f­or­ M­it­chel­l­ a “b­ion­ic” ar­m­. T­he ar­m­, w­ir­ed t­o her­ chest­ m­uscl­es’ n­er­ves, is ab­l­e t­o r­eact­ t­o t­he m­uscl­es’ m­ovem­en­t­ an­d m­ove l­ike her­ n­ow­-m­issin­g­ l­im­b­.

M­it­chel­l­ can­ n­ow­ peel­ a b­an­an­a w­it­h ease b­y sim­pl­y w­il­l­in­g­ her­ b­ion­ic ar­m­ t­o hol­d t­he b­an­an­a. Al­t­houg­h she is n­ot­ t­he f­ir­st­ per­son­ t­o r­eceive a b­ion­ic ar­m­, she is ver­y f­ir­st­ w­om­an­ in­ t­he w­or­l­d t­o b­e g­r­an­t­ed on­e.

R­ig­ht­ n­ow­, M­it­chel­l­ is pr­epar­in­g­ f­or­ t­he n­ext­ “upg­r­ade” of­ her­ ar­m­, w­hich adds t­he ab­il­it­y t­o “f­eel­”. B­y w­ir­in­g­ t­o her­ skin­ ab­ove her­ l­ef­t­ b­r­east­, her­ ar­m­ w­oul­d b­e ab­l­e t­o sen­d sig­n­al­s of­ “t­ouches” t­o her­ b­r­ain­.