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After 40 Years As a Double Amputee, Man Gains Two Bionic Arms
MojoKid writes Les Baugh, a Colorado man who lost both arms in an electrical accident 40 years ago, is looking forward to being able to insert change into a soda machine and retrieving the beverage himself. But thanks to the wonders of science and technology — and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) — he'll regain some of those functions while making history as the first bilateral shoulder-level amputee to wear and simultaneously control two Modular Prosthetic Limbs (MPLs). "It's a relatively new surgical procedure that reassigns nerves that once controlled the arm and the hand," explained Johns Hopkins Trauma Surgeon Albert Chi, M.D. "By reassigning existing nerves, we can make it possible for people who have had upper-arm amputations to control their prosthetic devices by merely thinking about the action they want to perform."
I'm having a hard time imagining an electrical accident that would make you lose both your arms yet not kill you.
This guy!
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
The prosthetics were 3D-printed?
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We have the technology.
Their other collaboration is cruising towards Pluto.
I lived long enough to see cyber limbs. Now to make them specialized for specific tasks, and have quick release mechanisms.
Unfortunately, the arms cost $6 Million, and everything he does with them is in slow motion, accompanied by a reverb sound effect.
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Nothing like a reminder that you live in the future.
I know we've been talking about biomechatronics for decades, but Moore's Law and developments in nanomaterials are making things possible that were the stuff of science fiction just a few years ago. Simply put, we're starting to build amazingly large numbers of amazingly complex structures at amazingly small scales out of amazing materials, amazingly cheap.
Mind you, that's not new either; biology has been doing that for eons. Yet being able to manufacture it, to mass-produce biological or biocompatible materials like BCIs and prosthetic organs, is a remarkable and wholly new development. I fully expect the next half century will see a medical revolution that rivals the computer revolution of the last.
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Unfortunately at this stage the technology still leaves much to be desired. Let me illustrate:
1) He cannot break an egg with this level of dexterity (I don’t think it’ll improve much over time), to say nothing of more demanding operations, so cooking is out of the question. Even operating a microwave is questionable.
2) I really doubt he would be able to dress up.
To sum it up he would still be greatly dependent.
BUT: I believe he would be able to eat on his own!
So that's undoubtedly a huge step forward.
I really think the "But" in that second sentence should be removed.
Does he understand that once he learns to control it we're going to expect him to fight crime with it? He's aware of that right?
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TF?
Looks like he'll be able to pick up and strangle Rebel Scum with just one hand now.
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I think this might be the most uplifting story I have yet to read on Slashdot. Way to go JHU-APL!
of Mortal Kombat
Needs to wear something like Google Glass or a big black visor and some big steel boots.
Amazing times we live in.
You can tell they picked him to work with because he's mentally and emotionally strong enough to dedicate himself to learn how to use them and work with them through the entire development process.
Now fast forward 10-15 years and see where this is going.
I bet the armless gal we hired once could break eggs and probably make you an omelette :)
Yup, we hired a temp with no arms to do some typing for us.
We learned it is VERY depressing to discover she types better with her toes than we do with our fingers. She could do pretty much anything she wanted including drive (an unmodified car!!!)
Shelves would be a problem like the video as she could only 'reach' so high, you simply keep everything lower. I don't know on the pop machine, but I am guessing she would have been able to do it.
Very inspirational and a bit scary as to how clumsy we are by default. She was born that way i think but was only 30-something at the time. Obviously a fair amount of flexibility required ;)
Makes this story feel kinda funny tho. Nice that they work so good(and they are rather impressive), but remembering her abilities it seems rather over-the-top.
hurfy
Adam Jensen, aged 65
This is my cousin Les. You can't imagine what it is like to see this type of breakthrough for him after 40 years (I was 10 when the accident happened) :-) ) and many other fun things. But to see these videos, I'm just awe struck. Not only is it impressive technology wise, but it's just awe inspiring and brings immense joy to see the gift that this can bring back into Les's life. (esp. this time of year) This is one of the best Christmas presents this year.
I've seen how amazing Les is and how he gets around and deals with life without his natural arms for most of my life. I've gone dune buggy racing with him driving (he's a crazy driver
An arm and a leg.