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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."
This guy!
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
"hey buddy, now that you have two arms and hands again, what are you going to do?"
Masterbate!
nope. they are traditional CNC milled aluminum and such. The shoulder servos were the only wonky thing. Put a slimmer servo there and some shrouding, and guy could even wear a shirt with sleeves and thee only immediate thing you would notice is the hands.
That thing must require a crapton of power though.
I lived long enough to see cyber limbs. Now to make them specialized for specific tasks, and have quick release mechanisms.
It looked as though those metal braces were suspending the arms several inches further from his body than necessary. I wonder if I'm seeing it wrong, or if they were perhaps trying to prevent him accidentally ripping out his abdomen with the elbows while learning.
I don't know about power though - granted it probably wouldn't run all that long off a laptop battery, but a human arm doesn't normally exert all that much power, and human muscle is *far* less efficient (18%-26%) than modern electric motors. I mean a soda-sized Li-ion battery can power an electric bicycle for an hour or so, and I imagine having a six-pack strapped to your back would be a small price to pay for a half-day of having arms.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Unfortunately, the arms cost $6 Million, and everything he does with them is in slow motion, accompanied by a reverb sound effect.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
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.
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
Well, not with the level of dexterity shown in the video, but give him a few months of practice and I bet he would become far more dexterous. Though the comment about having to operate the joints sequentially rather than simultaneously could be problematic, unless that's just a "training wheels" limitation.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
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?
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
Bah, breaking eggs is easy, and requires very little dexterity. ;-)
Keeping the yolk intact and not getting egg everywhere? A lot of people with two arms haven't mastered that yet. :)
And, really, if the man has been without arms for 40 years ... I'm pretty sure any additional independence is very welcome.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Looks like he'll be able to pick up and strangle Rebel Scum with just one hand now.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
I think this might be the most uplifting story I have yet to read on Slashdot. Way to go JHU-APL!
I'm sure it did kill him, in the sense that it stopped his heart. Apparently, however, death was just a temporary condition.
He cut twice and both arms were still too short!
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
Burger. Nuggets.
Ezekiel 23:20
Science has already solved his and the rest of humanity's egg problem. http://youtu.be/Cmn9JZ1_RPA
I can comment with some authority on this (this is my cousin in the article!)
Yes, an electrical accident can make you lose both arms and stop your heart, however the fall that occurred afterwards (at least according to the doctor) restarted his heart. I saw the sun glasses he was wearing that changed color based on sunlight (which were permanently stuck in a darkened state) so the whole situation and environment around this was probably a once in a lifetime situation.
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