Blast from the Past - 11/1981

Artificial limb research uses pulsed infrared system
From: IEEE Computer Magazine - 11/1981 - page 129

The principle behind the Boston Arm is that biological signals from the
brain, intended for the now-missing limb, can be detected in the stump and
used to control an artificial elbow in a natural way.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/co/1981/11/01667176.pdf

Links:
Robert W. Mann—The "Boston Arm" (with video 1:03)
http://mit150.mit.edu/multimedia/robert-w-mann%E2%80%94-boston-arm

Boston Arm
http://webmuseum.mit.edu/detail.php?type=related&kv=1167&t=subjects

Engineering design education and rehabilitation engineering 
http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/02/39/6/sup/mann.html

Boston Elbow (“Arm”) Prototypes, Robert Mann, 1966–1973
http://museum.mit.edu/150/10

LTI Boston Digital Arm Systems for Adults
http://www.liberatingtech.com/products/elbows/LTI_Boston_Digital_Arm_Systems_for_Adults.asp