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Bionic Arm Provides Hope for Amputees
Static-MT writes to mention a CNN article about what doctors are referring to as the first thought-controlled artificial limb. Arm owner Jesse Sullivan has two prosthetic limbs, and the left one is an advanced prototype in development by the folks at DARPA. From the article: "Sullivan's bionic arm represents an advance over typical artificial arms, like the right-arm prosthesis he uses, which has a hook and operates with sequential motions. There is no perceivable delay in the motions of Sullivan's flesh-colored, plastic-like left arm. Until now, it has been nearly impossible to recreate the subtle and complex motion of a human arm."
...Mostly 'armless?
If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
I approve of this little internet thing of theirs too (sorry Al).
- For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
Lets give this guy a hand.
But does he have to "theeeenk in Rrrrrussian"?
You must think in Russian.
We can rebuild him.
Rebuild him... better... stronger... faster...
What I'd really like to see is the other end of the equation, actual touch perception. And I don't mean if you feel the shock when hitting something with the arm, I mean feeling textures, or perhaps it'd be easier to start off with hot/cold sensors, since we know how to do that with existing equipment.
I don't get it.
holy smokes, that would be the perfect "stranger"
A bionic Beowulf cluster!
Medical electronics are just entering a new age.
:)
Research now ongoing that I am aware of:
-- Transponder system to provide electronic relay between severed spinal cord sections.
-- Artificial eye that connects to the optic nerve.
Those two are "out there" with no products out in time for christmas.
However there are heaps of things now on the market (pacemakers, insulin pumps, etc, etc)
and more to come. All for the good.
www.effectiveelectrons.com "chips that work" Analog, RF, Mixed Signal
I for one welcome our Bionic Commando Overlords!
You are reading a copy of my copyrighted post.
Wow this is a really great breakthrough at least as far as the article describes it but there are a lot of unanswered questions.
The mechanism is basically built by connecting the way other nerves and muscles in the body operate when you do a voluntary action such as clenching your hand or flexing your arm. However this is just the muscle patterns and nerve synapses of one man.
If there is one thing I learned from my failed pre-med career it was that all human bodies interact differently. How will this work then for the masses? Would this have to be custom made for every person? Some kind of custom AI module or custom firmware that is uploaded based on your user profile or based off motion capture on your other arm.
Also from a tech side, what kind of chips do they use to do the processing of this. TFA doesn't mention the stuff we really want to hear.
The article is a little misleading though because the arm doesn't actually listen to the brain it listens to other portions around the arm based on a certain programmed sequence of events. I was really excited because I thought that they had made a device that responds to ECG waves from the brain and actually knows how to recognize certain patterns.
Even though I come off negative I must say that this is a great step in the right direction. The better AI and integration with the brain will surely come with time.
I just hope the AI arms don't decide to overthrow the arm owner or worse a la Doc. Octavius.
Software Defined RFID - The Rifidi Emulator
I am AllStar, A Robot. I can put my arm back on. You can too!
Ahhh, childhood memories...
MIT's Technology Review had a similar article in july.
the have videos (.MOV) of a patient controlling a computer cursor and a prosthetic hand
I get a little irked at the "hope for amputees thing". One of my best friends has an arm to the elbow only, and he doesn't need any hope - he's just fine. He has adapted well, and there are few things he cannot do. He has a fake arm for cosmetic reasons, and it helps him to grip simple things, but lets get real. Amputees are not hopeless, they can do most things you and I can do, and frankly some of them (my friend included) put their two-limb friends to shame with their dexterity.
Sweet, just like Luke Skywalker has. I can't wait until these are available for elective surgery (hey Doc, just lop off righty and give me the super-bionic arm). Add this to my Chiba City shopping list, along with the brain implant so I can jack in to the Metaverse.
Cool links.
When will this technology cross the line from being restorative (for amputees) and become (for super-soldiers) augmentative?
Don't think DARPA hasn't already put this on the projected timeline.
Slashdot? Oh, I just read it for the articles.
I think there is great future in bionics. In addition to limbs as discussed in this submission, scientists have various approaches to bionic sight as well. This subject is truly fascinating. Here is a BBC article on a different project.
Interestingly and unfortunately, much advanced and successful bionics research is being done in South America because of restrictive laws in more typical countries. While I understand the need to protect patients, research for a paper I wrote two years ago indicates that the most successful scientists are pragmatically drawn away from first-class research institutes.
And that's why you ALWAYS leave a note.
Yeah!
"hope for amputees"
How patronising is that?
Most amputees, and those born with missing or short limbs, manage perfectly well in society.
They're not sitting there gloomily begging for 'hope' or some technological fix!
They just adapt get on with their lives ffs!
Now we just need a bionic eye and leg, too - all for just $6M.
--
make install -not war
See http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/iss-9/pdf/vol59 no9p24_25.pdf
They should install a force sensor that plays that 6 million dollar man "shik-shik-shik-shik-shik" every time she does something near the limits of it's capacity.
"Sullivan's bionic arm represents an advance...There is no perceivable delay in the motions of Sullivan's flesh-colored, plastic-like left arm. Until now, it has been nearly impossible to recreate the subtle and complex motion of a human arm"
Translation: You know you've got it right when it is once again possible to masturbate.
If they make a bionic eye, will it be able to take pictures?
Have you read my journal today?
"The suit, built of Durasteel and armorplast-plated Duranium, was built to resemble Krath war droids. His armorplast plates were strong enough to stop a bolt from even a starfighter's laser cannon. Each human-sized hand had four fingers and two opposable thumbs (three digits to each half-arm when they split to produce four arms.) His hands and feet were capable of magnetizing when needed, allowing him to grip on to surfaces with incredible strength, even in zero gravity. His feet also could work perfectly well as hands, and in the Clone Wars TV series, he was seen to have killed/incapacitated a Jedi by grabbing the Jedi's head with his foot and brutally smashing it into the ground. His legs were digitigrade (see CloneWar photo). His body was able to move in a seemingly unlimited number of unnatural ways with the twisting and alien movements of his body, almost exclusively to his unorthodox fighting style, this was perhaps exaggerated in the Clone Wars miniseries that depicted him with the ability to transform in almost unlimited ways, too. His internal organs were enclosed in a layer of pressurized synthflesh with an organic fluid to prevent the organs from being damaged by bacteria and harmful germs, and also to maintain a suitable temperature to keep his organs alive and functional. His organs were nourished by artificial arteries keeping them alive with blood from another Kaleesh subject, allowing him to survive in a vacuum (in space, for example), an advantage he would display in escaping from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on his flagship. This transformation, when combined with his ruthlessness as a warlord, turned him from a courageous, generous leader into an implacable killing machine, incapable of any emotion other than blood-lust and anger."
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
>I get a little irked at the "hope for amputees thing". One of my best
:)
>friends has an arm to the elbow only, and he doesn't need any hope -
>he's just fine.
Yep. My son was born with no arms or legs, and he is amazing. He's still just a baby (OK, almost "toddler") and he rolls everywhere, manipulates stuff with his arm stubs (1" or less), and just astounds us with what he can do.
He's being fitted for a "training arm" with no elbow now (a lengthy process of taking molds, making "test sockets", checking the fit, coming back, etc.), and I have no idea how he's going to react when he actually gets it. It'll be cool for some things, but I bet his first reaction will be to be ticked off that he can't roll so easily
...this journalist did gain access to Mr Sullivan as he prepared to engage in extensive testing of his new prosthetic limb. In a closed room filled with computer screens, fast internet connections, and boxes of tissues, Mr Sullivan said "get the hell out of here, I gonna me get some quality time with my new arm, Pamela". :-)
Now your stereo-typical Slashdotter can use both his keyboard and mouse while surfing the web for porn, without having to swtich hand positions.
And who said robots wouldn't free us from menial tasks?
I can't remember where, but I saw a video clip of this on TV today. ;-)
It was extremely impressive.
(might have been GMA but I'll never admit to watching that
He already had this back in 1987!
What if he thinks "vibrate quickly"?
CNN Reported on this way back in March, what's changed between then and now??
More information on Jesse Sullivan
Or better yet, lets Digg the story posted 174 days ago!
And install me one of those? :D
The Independent: Reverend Spooner Arrested in Friar Tuck Incident - ISIHAC, Historical Headlines
So when do get full prosthetic bodies?
Or at least one like hers?
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
sorry, it had to be said
But do they come with built-in laser beams?!?!? huh?
Will it allow amputees to effectively "do the robot?"
That's very good, sir. Now REALLY concentrate...
"HAND, PICK UP THE BALL!"
--You're BOTH right. It's a floor wax AND a desert topping!
the soldiers in the army. get it. army. Wah wah wah.
I'll be obsolete! Yay!
Imagine the embarrassment of losing an arm wrestling match once the prosthetics start to come down in the form factor.
I'd give my right arm for one of those!
I wonder how much Professor Cyborg (Kevin Warwick) and his Project Cyborg projects helped with this particular project.
These robotic limbs give new hope to people with diabetes who had to have their limbs removed. Maybe someday, We will be able to tap into the optic nerve and give people sight through small robotic eyeball or Star Trek like visor.
\
Here's another side of the story, focussing on Claudia Mitchell, the woman seen in TFA.
"The plural of anecdote is not data" -- Bruce Schneier
Well then it'll certainly be much more fun when you decide you want to rub her "hand"
Ok, I'll shut up now
I watched the video, and this stuff looks great. Very promising for a lot of people. One thing that struck me as odd, though, is how they're using the nerves that were originally used to move the arm to ... well ... move the arm. Given past advances, does that seem a bit behind the times? Or am I just being overly optimistic?
Watch out for viruses! http://www.legalwarfare.com/index.cfm?attributes.f useaction=showTemplate&calendar=2006-9-11&cy=2006& cm=9
I can't wait to see some Bionic boxing matches. Or Bionic Arm Wrestling.
I prefer the "reverse stranger." That's where you slam your dick in a door and it feels like you're beating someone else off.
What DARPA needs now is the "Skin" a la P F Hamilton's "Fallen Dragon." Nearly indestructable, provides life support systems for wounded soldiers, embedded weapons systems, strength augmentation, targeting systems, enhanced vision, shared blood supply with reserves, air cleansing, situational awareness, the list goes on. The agility, intelligence, and finesse of a human with the brute force, precision, and durability of a robot.
Still doesn't do much against terrorists, but it would've won WWII in about 2 days.
I'm sure this is just a crude first step in that direction. Who's up for asset realization?
TFA is pretty lax in stating exactly how this is powered. We've gotta have some sort of power, and I know it's not matrix-style body harvesting. You gotta walk around with a 12v car battery, or what?
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Evolving this process, one may suspect that even one day it may be possible to grow functional brains for amputees like Bush, Gore and Springer....
this subject brings me back to the cloning debate .. I think instead of going the machine route we should be cloning to harvest body parts for these specific situations..
I see the need for this type of scientific research but thats prolly because I dont want the world to turn out as the Matrix movie. --> Machine route...
If you can read this ... you are too close!!!
Prude. It's not discussiong his sexuality, it's discussing the logistics of no-armed people exploring their sexual maturity. It has nothing to do with your son other than his membership in the no-armed group. You were simply the person most likely to answer his question.
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
Let's stop all research, then, since they are perfectly fine and in no need of hope, as you say.
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com