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Bionic Implants Stimulate Muscle Contractions
joshv writes "Researchers at University of Southern California have developed implants about the size of a grain of rice which are injected directly into muscles to stimulate muscular contractions in stroke victims. The implants have no external connections or wires and are activated and presumedly powered by an external radio signal. "
I could put a sticker on my forehead stating Powered by Rice Bubbles.
Knock a few people off and become a genuine cereal killer.
Oh dear... the mind wonders....
*grin*
Remember stories of people getting FM radio stations in their fillings and braces?
This could be bad
On the other hand, it could be the start of a break-dancing revival. I'm all for that.
Simon
Coming soon - pyrogyra
Athletes - using this device for that 'workout without a workout'.
Vanity - look at how many buy steroids/the charles atlas muscle-training program. Now his dynamic resistance program will actually work..with the stimulation.
And the link in case the biggest market interests you. Such machines are allready used for muscle excersize.
If it was said on slashdot, it MUST be true!
I know I'd rather have a few of these connected with each other and my spinal cord than wait around for a biochemical breakthrough :)
Save the children; quit overparenting!
interactive music ;-) (i know its not the same kinda radio waves, but still)
Just picture this in your mind... the nurse walks in to help you, and leans over you to grab something and acts as an antenna for the local radio station. This sets off the implants and jerks your arm up suddenly, punching the nurse in the tummy
ok, ok, i know, it could never happen, but the first thing i think of when i see "controlled by radio waves" is something like that ^_^ besides, it would be awesome to get too close to your computer and have it's signals make you type faster, lol
It's good to see more and more of these things coming true!
I work for a company closely affiliated with the one who developed this device (about a 7 year process). Here's two URLS to the people involved, although information there is sparse. http://www.advancedbionics.com These people also market Cochlear implants that restore hearing to totally deaf patients. http://www.aemf.org This is the non-profit R&D foundation that has actually done most of the development. If anyone really wants to know more about these devices, please contact them... Dave Marsh Systems Engineer Medical Research Group, Inc.
The article states that stroke victims are at risk of thrombosis, yet these devices are made out of glass capillaries, which is thrombogenic. Furthermore, while the current electrode-electrical therapies can be painful, I want you all to consider the size of a 12-gauge needle: 3.7mm in diameter. I would kindly prefer the electrodes, thank you sir. Furthermore, think of the hacking possibilities here: who wants to hack into the DoD and post silly messages when you can make the old lady next door get jiggy with it at your control...it'd be like having your own programmable puppet. Lastly, the critic mentioned in the article is correct: long-term studies are needed. These lil things can become lodged in joints, escape into the bloodstream, etc. They might be carcinogenic. Who knows? Its time for a randomized trial.
That said, it IS a step in the right direction. Current science is 99% focused on the chemistry of neurology...theyre forgetting the electrical aspects of it. Not until doctors looked at the heart as an electrical organ did they really do anything that can be described as "cardiology," and the brain is every bit as electrical as the heart.
I can't wait for the latest 2600:
"Why the Government is Bad"
"How to Control Your Neighbors Using a Modified Transmitter"
"Why Businesses are Bad"
Plus, the heartwarming essay
"Help, Help, I'm Being Oppressed!"
Seriously, though, I wonder what happens when two people with the same technology stand next to one another. If the devices are powered by the radio waves and are this small, they aren't likely to have half a million codes like garage door openers and the like. Will I be able to raise your hand in class? Force the dumb kids to answer questions?
---sig---
Just take this scenario, and mebbe the Olympics would be a real problem?
What if....
You plant these devices in an athlete, and use the devices to help the athlete attain supreme levels of fitness.
Then you manage to make a device that can track their movements (using sensors in newer devices) and at the point just before they reach maximum muscle compression, it gives a little 'boost' to give better, fuller, and more uniform muscle compression.
Then you put this athlete in the Olympics, and they blow the competition away. They get screened for steroids, but none are present.
So, does this mean that the screening test for the Olympics should now include an X-Ray exam as well?
Imagine the possibilities...
You are at Thanksgiving dinner your aunt Mildred is coming to kiss you... You pull out your Garage door opener and she tweaks out like a scottish breakdancer on PCP.
Actually the IOC is considering what to do about mechanical enhancements. One American runner appeared in the last Olympics with a partially artificial nea joint. It didn't seam to have any significant effect on performance except that the natural parts they replaced were so badly damaged that the Athlete couldn't walk.
The question they are afraid to ask now is what happens when you take a perfectly healthy sprinter and use surgery to shut off the pain center in his brain then turn him loose in a middle distance event? What happens when you add micro motors and other mechanical advancements to legs? How exactly do you deal with a boxer who has a metal skeleton from the elbow down, including 10 LB steal fists ?
The possibilities are endless and the IOC needs to legislate this early. It is possible to make sensible laws before the technology is known too. I.e. You can't clone a racehorse. This was law before cloning of mammals was feasible. The regulation doesn't even use the word clone. Rather it says that "Natural mating between a male and female of the species is the only way to produce a hoarse". That's why retired Geldings are sold to the police or shot and fed to big cats at the zoo.
Perhaps, "You can't compete if you use any body parts that are not a natural human organ" ( It can be more restrictive if people do creative things with transplants. ). we could then have an event where the best compete regardless of surgery, steroids etc...
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
This is so not going to lead to better health.
Perfect bodies with piss-poor cardiovascular systems? They could bench 250, but be out of breath by the end of their first rep! Not unless you somehow can also regulate and exercise the heart and lungs along with the 'muscle' in question.
For obese people, this may have some effect; but if all it does is make them hungrier because their muscles are doing more work, and being hungrier makes them eat more, then nothing will hae changed.
This seems ideal for people who want to improve their tone, their looks, and keep unused muscles at a constant fitness, rather than improve fittness, bulk, or strength.
-AS
-AS
*Pikachu*