Paralysed patients control robotic arm with thoughts

Two patients in the United States, who are paralysed from the neck down, have been able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts.

It allowed Cathy Hutchinson to drink unaided for the first time in nearly 15 years.

The technique, described in the journal Nature, links a sensor implanted in the brain to a computer, which translates electrical signals into commands.

Fergus Walsh reports.