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Huge Leap Forward In Robotic Limb Replacement

Posted by kdawson on from the arms-and-the-man dept.

BlueshiftVFX sends us to Wired for some video of the impressive, mind-controlled prosthetic robot arm invented by Dean Kamen. "Kamen's arm, dubbed 'Luke' (after Skywalker, I assume), is an incredibly sophisticated bit of engineering that's lightyears ahead of the clamping 'claws' that many amputees are forced to use today. The arm is fully articulated, giving the user the same degrees of movement as a natural arm, and is sensitive enough to pick up a piece of paper, a wineglass, or even a grape without mishap."

4 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. :-( Insurance by lantastik · · Score: 5, Informative

    I can't tell you how excited I would be if any insurance company on the planet would actually pay for this. I have a friend who lost his left arm fighting in the name of our country. So far three different insurance carriers have all denied him any kind of advanced prosthetic. It's sad...

    1. Re::-( Insurance by s4m7 · · Score: 5, Informative

      If he was in the military, why is he dealing with insurance carriers at all?

      Yes because VA hospitals are great and there's always room in them. They just hand out whatever care you want because you Served Your Country.

      No seriously the republicans just blocked the expansion of VA benefits.

      --
      This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
    2. Re::-( Insurance by couchslug · · Score: 5, Informative

      "I have a friend who lost his left arm fighting in the name of our country. So far three different insurance carriers have all denied him any kind of advanced prosthetic. It's sad..."

      I'm a vet and I smell trollage. "name of our country" - WTF?? Branch of service would do for a start.

      No private carrier would even be involved with a combat injury, and actual denial of care would be grounds
      for calling up the VA chain of command with a parallel chat with local and state elected officials. The VA has
      screwed up but there are plenty of folks willing to raise a stink in behalf of a legit claim. Join the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) for a start.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  2. "Named after Skywalker, I assume" by empaler · · Score: 5, Informative

    That snippet really sums up the quality of the linked article.
    In both the linked pages from the Wired article, it is explained in the first paragraph that, yes, this is inspired by Luke's prosthetic hand. All Things Digital article, Gizmodo article.