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Huge Leap Forward In Robotic Limb Replacement
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."
If you live in a democracy, start thinking of yourself as part of the government. Then, society mandates things and they seem even stupider.
Sure, something can call itself a democracy and not be a democracy, but if you don't at least think of it as a democracy, it sure as hell isn't ever going to be one.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
#DeleteChrome
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
(Besides, the technology is just too new.)
With "reinnervation", they graft the nerves that used to lead to the arm/hand/fingers and reattach them to the chest muscles. Electrodes in the base of the prosthesis pick up these electrical signals and use them to move the arm. It would be possible to reassign different signals to different arm movements, but you won't be able to control any more muscles than you had before.
Maybe with electrodes implanted in the brain this would be possible - people were able to control a cursor with their thoughts. But it would require many more electrodes to be able to control an entire arm.
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You, sir, have it right. Put it on a wireless caterpillar track base, and multiple telescopic arms. There doesn't seem to be too many reasons to attach them to the body.
Semi-automatic amateur armchair Australian philosopher; conjecture ready at any moment...
It's not that simple. In the case of a quadriplegic with complete spinal transection, for instance, the spinal reflexes would still be intact and likely over-reactive. So, even if external stimulation were applied to cause appropriate muscular contraction, without the proper modulation and inhibition from the upper motor neurons in the brain, any resulting movement would be very jerky and unreliable. Plus, there's the whole issues of muscular tone and posture which are themselves complex and would need to be addressed before these individuals could actually do anything functional.
But, more importantly, sensation is not a luxury. It is absolutely required for proper movement of our extremities. Without access to touch, pain, or proprioceptive (joint-position/vibration) information, the controlling system would have no idea how to properly modulate its stimulation for even basic tasks. Even more troubling, such a system would very easily lead to broken bones, dislocated joints, and torn muscles and blood vessels without the patient even knowing it. All of these could be life-threatening if not found and treated in time.
I'm going to go out on a limb (no pun intended) and predict that it's unlikely that this technology will ever be applied beyond prosthetics. For quadriplegics and paraplegics, the most promising developments will probably be nerve-regeneration techniques, as this leverages the already exquisite circuitry in our bodies devoted to movement.
-Grym
The sad thing is, something like this should have been invented a long time ago. We've had the technology and the ability to do it for years, and at the very least Star Wars or the Bionic Man/Woman should have inspired someone to build this. I'd be willing to bet someone has designed and built a prosthetic arm like this a long time ago, but insurance companies have probably worked very hard to keep it from ever getting to market or any publicity.
Why would you assume that?
I mean first up, why the insurance industry? Second, what makes you think anyone has the clout to repress this sort of technology?
Robot limbs that operate at or near the human level have a multitude of uses beyond just prosthetics. Offhand, I can think of hazardous material handling, remote surgery, bomb disposal, space exploration - basically anywhere you want a human hand, and don't want the mess that comes with having a warm body in the immediate area.
If you're right, and the potential to build just such a device has existed for years, then everyone from NASA to the nuclear industry would be all over it. Against that, those pissants in insurance don't stand a chance.
Plus, there's a fairly strong military interest in the prosthetic angle. There are plenty of war-vet amputees who'd benefit, giving DARPA both a practical and a PR benefit if they demonstrated a working model.
I just don't see it happening yet. Note the "leap forward" phrasing - this is still below the level of a bionic hand that can adequately replace the flesh and blood version. We're nowhere near the star wars/bionic man level. I mean, we'll get there, and probably within my lifetime and yours, but stuff like nerve-computer connections and effective tactile senses are still in their infancy.
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Of course, it isn't any sort of leap forward, and anyone who has been paying attention to the industry would see that like most new bits of technology, it is part of a long gradual development progress.
Since about 2000 they've been making real progress in control systems, and impoverishment in material engineering have allowed for more lifelike prosthetic. Better electronics have made everything smaller.
They've finally put both together into something that can be used by patients, without lugging around a massive power source and computer.
No one has been suppressing the technology. This shit is hard and takes huge amounts of effort, and saying otherwise(saying a ridiculous conspiracy is responsible for the time it's taken)is a massive slap in the face of people who have dedicated themselves to helping disabled people lead better lives.