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Bluetooth Prosthetics Help US Marine To Walk Again
Like2Byte writes "CNN is reporting that a US Marine who lost both his legs in Iraq is now able to walk again by using bluetooth technology to coordinate his leg movement. The two legs communicate to keep the man in motion. ' [...] Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the artificial joints so the knees and ankles move in a coordinated fashion. Bleill's set of prosthetics [legs] have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle area. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it's doing, how it's moving, whether walking, standing or climbing steps, for example.'"
Will he reflex-kick me in the head?
Just disrupt the deflector shield with a tachyon burst.
I hope they don't fall down when they walk past a microwave oven. I know my bt headset drops info while talking around my microwave. I hope the final devices are a bit more robust.
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
Maybe. All I know is that when he heats up his lunch in the microwave he starts dancing.
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Just imagine - no need for cellphone shoot-em-up games when you can use this direction stick on the keyboard to control a real Marine with Bluetooth!
This is Slashdot. Common sense is futile. You will be modded down.
The last thing most of us need is one more damn thing that you need to keep charged.
Hello, AAA? Yeah, I'm in the supermarket parking lot and I need a jump-start...
Sean
I don't have bluetooth limbs and yet get the impulse to kick people who use bluetooth headsets in the head....
Monstar L
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
I'd only wear a bluetooth headset if it came with a "Locutus Laser".
Just disrupt the deflector shield with a tachyon burst.
I think it's great that they've improved the functionality of these prostheses, but I find it rather dumb that the batteries that power them are not user replaceable. They've added some "whiz bang" at the cost of what would be now considered a standard functional issue of any consumer electronics device. I know someone with a prosthetic arm, which has replaceable Li-Ion packs, why would having removeable batteries be any different in this case? Then again, maybe I am incorrectly interpreting "no spare batteries available" as not user replaceable, instead of the design of these batteries are two-of-a-kind and no additional ones have been manufactured at this point.
(Apologies for the puns in the title.)
I wouldn't be going to any black hat conventions if I was him.
So... can we expect Nintendo to make a Wii soccer game for him?
Must've been taking design cues from the packaging engineers that work at Apple. You can't replace the battery in their iPod or iPhone, either.
Enjoy your new "restless leg" syndrome!
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
...people who use bluetooth headsets in the head....
Yeah, I get creeped out when I hear people talking to themselves in the john, too.
This guy's the limit!
*walk* *walk* *walk*
"Brain -> Legs: Bluetooth connection lost. Re-pairing"
*trip*
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
That was my initial reaction too. But, he lost his legs just above the knee, so the routing of the wire would either have to cross empty space somewhere, or else route up one leg, into the crotch of his trousers, and down the other leg. On the one hand, I can see either of those routings having issues, practical or comfort related. But still, seems like it would be worth it considering the advantages the wired version would give you in terms of reliability and battery longevity.
My only guess is that Bluetooth hardware was available "off the shelf" therefore simplfying the design time for the wireless link. It's questionable if this was wise, considering the proliferation of Bluetooth devices. I know I'd be a little upset if the legs that I depended on were covered under FCC part 15, particularly the part stating "this device must accept interference, even if it causes undesired operation."
FWIW, I don't think the BT is actually implanted, so regular surgeries for battery changes isn't an issue.
Sorry officer, but every time you zap me with your radar gun, my leg floors the gas pedal..
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
We need this technology where I work - the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
The only downside is when his new legs are burning, it's because they used sony batteries.
They're Atomic powered, d'uh. Don't you know anything about bionic men?
hmm "The Bionic Men" sounds like a great name for a futuristic fascist military.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
If his legs get bluejacked does this make him the worlds first remote controlled human?
The chips send signals to the artificial joints via bluetooth?
To FORWARD WALK, press 1.
To FORWARD RUN, press 2.
To BACKWARD WALK, press 3.
To BACKWARD RUN, press 4.
To KICK LEFT, press 5.
To KICK RIGHT, press 6.
To move SIDEWAYS LEFT, press 7
To move SIDEWAYS RIGHT, press 8
If you have fallen and can't get up, press 9. An Operator will be with you shortly. Please hold, your call is important to us. Calls will be answered in the order they are recieved. (plays "Runnin' With The Devil" as hold music).
If controls fail to respond, press CTRL+ALT+DEL.
Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
I wonder if this technology can be mutated such that it can give people with spinal cord injuries similar locomotion. Mutated in such a way not to require amputation, of course. Interesting.
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
Shiver me timbers! I betcha Captain Bluetooth will be wantin' one of these to replace his peg leg!
Yomigaeru Aiyan Geek!!!
He couldn't get to a machine with Firefox.
It's the wrong trousers, and they've gone wrong! Help!
You know the reason, but you're being obtuse because you want to juice. It's not really about the legality or illegality of steroid use, though your Congressmen (and women) would like you to believe that. It's more about the trade-offs. Like Tyrell symbionts, the star that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
Using steroids improves performance for the player during his career at the cost of debilitating medical problems down the line. It reduces both quality and quantity of life for the retired player. Since it's a "prisoner's dilemma" of whether or not to juice: players who don't are at a significant disadvantage, it's in the players' best interest to band together and agree not to. Ironically it's probably the most relevant issue for the players' union to handle, much more so than the frequent salary strikes. In a sense, you're on to something: If the players aren't interested in protecting themselves by exercising their existing guild infrastructure, why should any of the rest of us be concerned the performances might be a little too exciting.
The same cannot be said of eye surgery. It just doesn't have the same risk of chronic, long-term side effects. It's almost all up-side.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!