Third thumb: what is it, how does it work and is it easy to use?

Scientists have invented a robotic third thumb. It is wearable and is controlled with your feet. Third Thumb is expected to be able to improve users range of movement.

Have you ever found yourself wishing that you could have an extra finger or thumb? Perhaps while trying to hold an arm full of groceries in the shop and desperately hoping you won’t drop them. If you answered yes to that very specific question, then boy do we have good news for you! Boffins at University College London and University of Cambridge have developed a wearable robotic prosthetic thumb and is surprisingly simple to get the hang of. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter.

Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. It might sound like pie-in-the-sky thinking from a science fiction film, but development has been underway on the Third Thumb for years.

And members of the public have already had the chance to get their hands (and thumbs) on it. What is a third thumb? To put it simply it is a wearable robotic prosthetic which gives users an extra thumb to play with. It is worn on the opposite side of the palm to a biological thumb.

Users control it through a pressure sensor placed under each big toe or foot. If you put pressure on the sensor with your .