Description
The artificial hand, attached to the right arm of the user as an addition rather than as a prosthetic replacement, is capable of independent motion, being activated by the EMG signals of the abdominal and leg muscles.
Stelarc works in a performance art context, and the Third Hand was one of his earliest robotic artworks. In the first performance with the Third Hand Stelarc used the hand to write the phrase “The Third Hand” simultaneously with his right hand and the third hand.
Since 1981 Stelarc has been creating amplified body performances in which he expands the power and reach of the human body by wiring it to electronic devices and telecommunications systems. In these performances he has combined the Third Hand with many other technological components, including sensing devices conventionally used in medicine.
