This article explains the link between speech and memory.
Personally, I remember numerous incidents before my second birthday. As I am told that I acquired language at an extremely early age, I guess - in my case at least - the model holds true. However, what happens to those unfortunate persons who never fully acquire language ?
Its also unfortunate that the cold war was indirectly responsible for putting men on the moon.
Its unfortunate that some of the initial research into nuclear power plants was for the development of the atomic bomb.
Its unfortunate that people die to establish and protect freedom.
(It's also unfortunate that able-bodied people insist on using disabled only parking spaces.)
Aleviation of the plight of the disabled should not be the unlooked for side effect of an unrelated course of action, but rather the result of a carefully planned strategy.
If a portion of the finite research funding allocated to disability issues is diverted from meaningful research to unworkable 'gadgets' like this then I as a disabled person do condider myself "unfortunate".
... so why not build stuff to allow them to do what they want...... i suppose that is the better way since controlling the hand would be...
OK, the above quotes are slightly out of context, but they illustrate the important point is that if you're gonna build stuff for people with disabilities you need to so in consultation with your end-users. Nowhere on the manufacturer's site is there any mention of disability or consultation with the disabled community.
As a disabled person, I'd agree with the BCDP spokesman who said it is unlikely that the robotic hand will be of any use as an assistive device for the disabled.
Most succesful assistive devices are simple, cheap and fulfill a specific reqirement. The human hand is immensely difficult to model. It has both fine and gross motor capability as well as a complex feedback system of heat and touch sensors. To be functional, an assistive device does not need to replicate all this complexity.
It is more likely that the hand could prove useful as a research tool - for example as a test-rig for those developing techiniques of electronic stimulation to muscles in paralysed hands.
the revolution is just a t-shirt away - billy bragg
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Personally, I remember numerous incidents before my second birthday. As I am told that I acquired language at an extremely early age, I guess - in my case at least - the model holds true. However, what happens to those unfortunate persons who never fully acquire language ?
Its also unfortunate that the cold war was indirectly responsible for putting men on the moon.
Its unfortunate that some of the initial research into nuclear power plants was for the development of the atomic bomb.
Its unfortunate that people die to establish and protect freedom.
(It's also unfortunate that able-bodied people insist on using disabled only parking spaces.)
Aleviation of the plight of the disabled should not be the unlooked for side effect of an unrelated course of action, but rather the result of a carefully planned strategy.
If a portion of the finite research funding allocated to disability issues is diverted from meaningful research to unworkable 'gadgets' like this then I as a disabled person do condider myself "unfortunate".
... so why not build stuff to allow them to do what they want ... ... i suppose that is the better way since controlling the hand would be ...
OK, the above quotes are slightly out of context, but they illustrate the important point is that if you're gonna build stuff for people with disabilities you need to so in consultation with your end-users. Nowhere on the manufacturer's site is there any mention of disability or consultation with the disabled community.
As a disabled person, I'd agree with the BCDP spokesman who said it is unlikely that the robotic hand will be of any use as an assistive device for the disabled.
Most succesful assistive devices are simple, cheap and fulfill a specific reqirement. The human hand is immensely difficult to model. It has both fine and gross motor capability as well as a complex feedback system of heat and touch sensors. To be functional, an assistive device does not need to replicate all this complexity.
It is more likely that the hand could prove useful as a research tool - for example as a test-rig for those developing techiniques of electronic stimulation to muscles in paralysed hands.
the revolution is just a t-shirt away - billy bragg
hmmm, i wonder how bus-proof the .gov.za subdomain is ?