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Open-Source Prosthetics

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the a-hand-up dept.

D H NG writes "Wired News has a story about the non-profit Open Prosthetics Project. The organization was founded last year by Jonathan Kuniholm, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at Duke University who lost his arm below the elbow in Iraq. Open Prosthetics Project applies the ethical and intellectual property foundation of open-source software to the task of building better artificial limbs. So far, the project has produced a 'handful' of useful homebrew prosthetic hacks, and is closing in on a solution that would dramatically improve the functionality of the common hook device."

7 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. That's because... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    prosthetics with MS drivers had a tendency to inexplicably hurl chairs all over the place.

  2. New O'Reilly Book? by saudadelinux · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, are they gonna do a "Prosthetics Hacks" book? I see a lot of interesting Perl scripts coming our way ;-)

    --
    I didn't think the house band in Hell would play this badly.
    1. Re:New O'Reilly Book? by From+A+Far+Away+Land · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Yes, you can program your arm to do stuff while you sleep."

      I'd expect it to run FoldingLaundry@Home.

      --
      Oh You POS
  3. I see a trend. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    First, it was 'Talk Like a Pirate' Day, then Microsoft released an "IE Patch", and now we're discussing hooks? Sounds like we'll have that global warming thing reversed in no time!

  4. tacky jokes by andyatkinson · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can't believe you'd make a joke like "a-hand-up" dept. or "handful" of hacks. If I met you, mano a mano, I'd know how to handle your type, you're nothing but two left hands, all hands and no action, I'd really hand it to you. You're lucky I'm at work now, I gotta take off for my All Hands meeting. I'm assuming someone will take the handoff here to pick up the good fight against types like you.

    1. Re:tacky jokes by Clever7Devil · · Score: 3, Funny

      I can't believe you'd stoop to taking such a topic so lightly Andy. This guy is doing something spectacular here. He's really out on a limb. We should all be thinking about how we can lend him a hand. After all, donating to causes like this doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Benefiting from them however . . .

      --
      "By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began to suspect 'Hungry.'" -Gary Larson
    2. Re:tacky jokes by proxy318 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Now, look. Now's not the time to be pointing fingers. We should hand off this type of research to those that grasp it, and give them all a big thumbs-up. After all, if they don't take matters in to their hands, who will? There's no need to arm yourself with insults, or to be so touchy.

      --
      Saying your "phone ran out of batteries" is like saying your "car ran out of gas tanks".