April 27, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) Before a hearing held today by the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Chairman Larry Craig (R-Idaho) met with Dr. Richard Weir, a research scientist who works at the VA Prosthetics Research Laboratory in Chicago.

Weir demonstrated a new high-tech prosthetic hand which uses sensors placed on existing arm muscles to open and close the hand. The device will eventually use "fuzzy logic" ? artificial intelligence to translate the signals into commands ? which will enable a person to control the wrist, thumb and eventually individual fingers.

The ultimate goal is to produce artificial hands and legs which can feel ? providing sensory feedback to the brain.

To enable that to happen, Sen. Craig and ranking member of the committee, Sen. Daniel Akaka, were joined yesterday by 60 other U.S. Senators in seeking a five percent increase in VA's research budget.  That funding request still awaits action by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

4:00 p.m. Eastern ? 2:00 Mountain ? 1:00 Pacific