Bionic Arm – Breaking Technology
Welcome back!
Faster! Stronger! Better than he was before! Shades from the Six Million Dollar Bionic Man — DARPA develops a revolutionary bionic arm that provides the sense of touch and grip, imparting precise actions such as placing a coin in a slot — a first for prosthetics.
DARPA has set ambitious deadlines to have a mechanical arm with functionality on par with a flesh-and-blood limb by 2009. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is equally ambitious, developing an arm providing a person ability to actually feel an object within their grasp, reports Popular Mechanics. Photos – The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (top), APL (bottom)
Jesse Sullivan, a lineman who lost both of his arms in an accident tests Proto 1, the first prototype to come out of DARPA’s prosthetic program. Proto 1 was attached to nerves in Sullivan’s chest and shoulder. Rather than merely watching his fingers close on a plastic cup, Sullivan received direct sensory feedback, triggering the sensation of grip in the nerve receptors that map to his missing hand. Proto 1 also allows for more natural walking, since it can swing freely.
APL expects to complete Proto 2 by the end of the summer that will be stronger, faster and more flexible, and provide even more sensory feedback, including limb position and temperature. The catch — to accommodate more advanced prosthetics, users will need to become even more bionic, replacing surface electrodes with tiny sensors that will be implanted or injected into the body.
Japanese firm unveils artificial hand with ‘air muscles’
Other headlines on Tuesday for prosthetic hands comes from a Japanese robot manufacturer that unveiled what it claims the world’s first prototype of an artificial hand with ‘air muscles’ that can perform delicate maneuvers such as picking up a raw egg without breaking it, and handling a pen.
Squse, a Kyoto-based robot automation producer, said it has developed a 14 ounce hand with five human-sized fingers with artificial fibers that can be controlled by air pressure, reports Yahoo News.
“So far, robots have an image of helping people do heavy lifting, but we aim at delicate work as a human hand can do.” said president Mikio Shimizu.
The firm plans to ship 50 prototypes to research institutes and firms, with intentions to market them overseas in the near future, Shimizu said.
Air muscles may be key technology for developing new types of artificial hands in the future, said Hiroshi Yokoi, associate professor of precision engineering at the University of Tokyo.
“Compared to motor-driven ones, air muscle hands are extremely light and less noisy.” Yokoi said, adding that they may be in practical use in about five years’ time.
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Deborah,
I gave you an award today on my blog..here’s the post
http://wackymom.blogspot.com/2007/06/internet-safety-four-our-childrens-sake.html
The post reminded me of the Six Million Dollar Man TV series! Boy oh boy! Twas one of the coolest shows on television back then. Lee Majors and the unforgettable “bionic” sound that chained viewers in their seats!
Hi Deborah,
You’re gorgeous!
Wacky Mom Ev sent me.
That prosthetic is just amazing; I mean, I’ve seen a couple before, but not like this. It’s very intricate and probably functions as well as the real thing.
Wow Ev, Thanks, I’m very honored! I’m behind on writing feature posts, but I will definitely do this!
Eastcoastlife, you’re too kind! Came to visit, love what you’re doing with your blog!
Copywriter, I wish I could have posted a photo of the hand that the Tokyo manufacturer Squse has created. Their copywrite laws forbid any rebulishing of their pic in any means whatsoever, which was a shame. In the photo, you couldn’t tell the difference from a human hand.
It’s incredibly exciting to know that they can produce the sense of touch for these prosthetics.
What a great and interesting post – it’s amazing what modern technology can do those days:-)
Thanks Renny
This will improve so many people’s way of life.
AnitoKid, sorry you got caught in my filters. I used to love that show!
[...] stories: Bionic Arm – Breaking Technology Brain Remote Control – Breaking Technology Tags:bionic bionics limb limbs mechanical odd prosthetic [...]
hey i need help with this bionic arm project!!! can someone tell me if the bionic arm have a memory chip/ Ram or something like hard drive that makes people control over the arm by their thoughts!!!!!
ty
please let me know ASAP. i only have 10 days remaining for the project.
