Remember Luke Skywalker's robotic hand?  With the advent of biotic prosthetics, the concept of limbs controlled by the central nervous system is no longer the stuff of Star Wars.  Researchers in the UK, after studying (of all things) deer antlers, have invented a way of attaching artificial limbs directly to the body without the traditional use of straps or suction.  From the BBC story:

The technique, called Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), involves securing a titanium rod directly into the bone.
The metal implant passes through the skin and the artificial limb can be directly attached to it.
Risk of infection, which could be caused by bacteria passing from the external limb through the rod to the bone, is avoided because the skin tissue meshes around the rod to form a seal.

 Visit BBC to see a photo of this device in, uh, situ.

Meanwhile, the world's first face transplant, performed last November, is being hailed as a success.