Festo's fluidic muscles make us all look weak

Yeah, we've seen some pretty fancy robotic arm work already this year, but Festo is out to show 'em all up with its fluidic muscle-packin' Airic's_arm. This robotic prosthesis sports a "bone structure" which mimics that found on a real live human, and can be moved via the 30 "muscles" built within. Essentially, Festo's approach to movement relies on "an elastomer tube reinforced by aramid fibers, which contract quickly and exert a pulling force when they're filled with a blast of compressed air or liquid." Of course, you'll notice it doesn't offer quite the same range as less bionic alternatives, but this thing's pretty accurate, indeed. Check it out for yourself, the video's right down there.

[Via DesignNews]
Read - Festo's Airic's_arm
Read - Video of Airic's_arm in action

[Nicholas @ Aug 24th 2007 10:42AM]

Looks like one of the bots out of "I, Robot"...

Very cool. I look forward to the possibility of getting my own if I ever lose a limb.

And now, to handle the old standby jokes...

1) I will become your evil BIONIC overlord. I, for one, will welcome myself.

2) It had better not blend, even in a BlendTec Total Blender.

3) I can already play DOOM.

4) I am not in Russia, much less Soviet Russia, so that one is a moot point.

[Harry Wagstaff @ Aug 24th 2007 11:26AM]

I for one welcome our non-blendable, DOOM playing, non Russian bionic overlord.

[Oskin @ Aug 24th 2007 10:43AM]

Thats probrably the coolest thing i've ever seen... I wonder if it'll be soon possible to connect a robotic arm to human nerves?

[Kurian @ Aug 24th 2007 10:50AM]

dude that has been done ages ago!
it is directly wired to your nerves and you move it like it was your own.

[Mitch @ Aug 24th 2007 8:35PM]

Current bionic arms dont require half a torso filled with pistons and pumps. Good luck fitting all that in.

[Kyoji @ Aug 24th 2007 10:44AM]

Wait...where was Will Smith?!

[Hernan Paredes @ Aug 24th 2007 10:46AM]

my god.... what they dont tell ya is each of those weights its lifting, are a ton each...:jk:

[EdZ @ Aug 24th 2007 10:53AM]

These look identical to the shadow air muscles that have been around for quite some time now.
http://www.shadowrobot.com/airmuscles/overview.shtml

[Rainier @ Aug 24th 2007 10:55AM]

Meeh. I think I'd rather have Doctor Octupus' mechanical appendages instead.

[jsn @ Aug 24th 2007 10:57AM]

This sounds pretty similar to how they control mech's in mechwarrior, for anyone who ever got into that. Using synthetic fibers that respond to electrical impulses rather than doing everything with servo's and motors. Very cool.

[Gareth @ Aug 24th 2007 11:01AM]

Pretty cool, although I would be concerned about needing to have half my internal organs scooped out to make for all the compressors for my new super-strenth bionic arm.

I might be able to do battle with the robotic overlord's minions, but I wouldn't be able to run far missing a lung.

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 24th 2007 12:06PM]

Baaa, so they can build a cool arm, but their website can't take the heat, apparently *snore*

Looks nice though. Also looks as though you'd have to sacrifice half your ribcage for it at this point...

[Jean @ Aug 24th 2007 12:07PM]

Robocop anyone?

[Phoenixfury @ Aug 24th 2007 12:52PM]

Hmm.. Remember in Terminator 2 it all started with the arm... It's just the beginning of the end my friends, were screwed!

[Billy Fiul @ Aug 24th 2007 2:01PM]

Did you mean "we're screwed?"

[John @ Aug 24th 2007 4:28PM]

The dude who played the dude responsible for SkyNet is actually in a PSA on SciFi reminding to us take all precautions and follow all safety guidelines when building a robot, android, cyborg, etc....

I have mentioned this once before and a few of you have seen it, I am sure.

[Maff @ Aug 24th 2007 4:54PM]

Heilo? i hope that robo-arm isn't trying to tell us something!

[Chris @ Aug 24th 2007 5:39PM]

These are identical to those robots in the movie i Robot

http://img.timeinc.net/popsci/images/science/sci0804irobot_A.jpg

[Matthew @ Aug 24th 2007 8:27PM]

Now tht was the creepiest thing i have erver seen, and what a choci eof music lol.

[Core @ Aug 25th 2007 5:01PM]

This looks pretty awesome! I hope this company is really successful with research on this to the point where it would become a viable solution to replacement of lost limbs.. What I have seen so far looks clunky. This looks and sounds pheasable.

[Kade Miller @ Aug 25th 2007 6:57PM]

This is well wicked. A nice alternative to some of the less-human bionic arms. I bet it is loud still.