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Electronic implant helps paralyzed people walk again
People paralyzed because of spinal cord injuries could one day be able to walk again, thanks to an implant that helps send "lost signals" from the brain to leg muscles. In Nature Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine, research teams report that several patients -- all paralyzed from the waist down -- have been able to walk again after having the electrical patch fitted to their spinal cords. The approach is called epidural stimulation.
DIY GPS dog collar helps your pup fulfill its mobile computing potential
Yeah, you love your dog, but is he or she really pulling his or her weight? A new project from Adafruit brings an on-board computer to your roaming canine, tracking the distance to your and your pup's goal with a progress bar. The project is pretty simple, and Adafruit offers up most of the supplies, including the GPS and Atmega32u4 breakout boards -- though you'll have to procure your own fabric to make the big flower and some black nail polish to blot out the bright LEDs. The functionality isn't quite as advanced as, say, products from Garmin -- nor is it going to fill up your Twitter stream, but the collar does have the potential to track your mutt's walks around the neighborhood with a few tweaks.
Daily iPhone App: Walkmeter 6.0
I'm not a big fan of running, but I love cycling and walking, so I'm always looking for nice iOS apps to compliment my activities. A beautiful app I've fond for tracking my walks is Walkmeter 6.0 by Abvio. If Abvio sounds familiar, it's because we've covered their Runmeter app in the past. Abvio actually makes three apps (Runmeter, Walkmeter, and Cyclemeter) that all do the same thing: they use the iPhone's built-in GPS to track and record your favorite exercises. Though all of the apps actually track any number of sports (walking, running, cycling, skying, etc. -- no matter which app you have) the developer decided to make three separate apps because he thought the individual names and icons would appeal to people depending on their favorite sport. That's something I think is cool, even though others might think the developer is trying to snake people in buying multiple apps when he's not. In our earlier review of Runmeter, we told you about the enhancements that came with version 5.0 of the apps, including the excellent voices feature, which reads various stats to you as you exercise, the tight social integration, and the ability to export .GPX files to share your exercise's stats and maps with others. Version 6.0, which were released last month, continue to add a myriad number of features. One of the coolest features is ANT+ support, which allows Walkmeter to talk to the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ system. This means that heart-rate monitors and speed/cadence cycling sensors are communicated with in real time, giving you instant feedback. No need to wait until your walk is done to see your results. You can also set target announcements for heart rate, speed, and pace, which are read to you by the Walkmeter voice of your choosing. Another cool feature is Zones, which allows you to see how much time, distance and calories were spent during a pace within a certain range. Version 6.0 also adds Notification Center support, laps and interval training, along with dozens of other enhancements throughout the app. Walkmeter and its brothers aren't the cheapest exercise tracking apps out there, but I believe they are the best. The interface is fluid, responsive and easy to navigate, something that matters a lot if you are interacting with the app during your exercise. I've tried a lot of GPS-enabled exercise apps, and I deleted them from my iPhone once I found Walkmeter. If your current exercise app isn't doing it for you, I urge you to give one of Abvio's apps a try. Walkmeter 6.0 is US $4.99 in the App Store. %Gallery-140327%
Boston Dynamics PETMAN portends the pending robot apocalypse
If the sight of Boston Dynamics' unstoppable Alpha Dog didn't convince you of the coming robot apocalypse, then perhaps a glimpse of its bipedal relative, PETMAN, will. Last time we saw the two-legged bot, It was walking well enough, but it lacked the humanoid visage needed to infiltrate and overthrow. In the time since, however, PETMAN has gotten a more anatomically-correct body and some arms -- giving it some push-up prowess to go with its jaunty gait. As the video below demonstrates, this robot isn't a T1000 just yet, but is seems certain PETMAN and its progeny will be running and leaping over us meatbags on the way to the top of the evolutionary food chain soon enough. So our anthropomorphic replacements are on the way, but there's no need for full-blown panic... yet.
The Xsens ForceShoe watches your step, helps you walk better
The technology-laden Xsens ForceShoe might better be described as a sandal. However, if you're the type of bipedal perfectionist who wants to analyze your gait using an array of 6DoF force sensors and magnetic trackers (not to mention that cunningly-disguised wireless data transmitter), then the chances are your toenails can also stand a bit of scrutiny. In fact, although the ForceShoe is primarily designed for physio patients, we think its inventors at the University of Twente might just have stumbled upon the next-gen Nike+ accessory we've all been waiting for. Unfortunately they're not on sale, but if you're a researcher looking to measure the orientation, acceleration, angular velocity, force and torque of your feet in three dimensions, you're welcome to hop past the break for the full press release.
Bipedal robots learn to shuffle, evolve toward doing the twist (video)
Yes, some robots are evolving to a point where they can play instruments and swing a hammer. Hilariously, though, bipedal robots are still awful at turning in a tight radius. Several presenters at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation have been working on a solution: instead of making them take steps, program robots to shuffle. This allows turning without complex weight-shifting -- every time your foot leaves the ground, you have to adjust your balance to remain upright. Keeping your feet on the ground avoids that fairly complicated process, and can make robot-turning quicker, and possible in confined spaces; most current bipedal bots require lots of time and space to turn. See the video after the break for an example from Japan's Osaka Electro-Communication University. It may look like a metal man shuffling his feet, but it's an important step toward our robot-dominated future. [Thanks, Henry]
Energy-recycling foot makes it easier for amputees to walk
What's better than an artificial nose? Why, an artificial foot, of course! University of Michigan researchers have developed a new prosthetic foot that could one day make it much easier for amputees to walk. Put simply, this new prototype drastically cuts the energy spent per step, as it harnesses the energy exerted when taking a step and enhances the power of ankle push-off. The device is able to capture dissipated energy, and an inbuilt microcontroller tells the foot to return the energy to the system at precisely the right time. Tests have shown that those using this here foot spent just 14 percent more energy to walk than one would spend when walking naturally, which is a rather significant decrease from the 23 percent uptick experienced with conventional prostheses. If you're still baffled, there's a pretty wicked video demonstration waiting for you after the break. %Gallery-86121%
Boston Dynamics PETMAN predicts the future of man as pet (video)
At this stage of its development, PETMAN is here to assist mankind. However, it's clearly fated to be weaponized as an AT-ST walker in support of Imperial ground forces. For the time being anyway, this biped humanoid is being built by Boston Dynamics to test military suits used to protect soldiers in chemical warfare. As an evolutionary advance from its four-legged BigDog platform, PETMAN does the ol' heel-toe at a healthy 3.2 MPH (5.14 KPH) and packs enough balancing intelligence to remain upright even when given a shove from the side. Check out the action after the break. [Via Make]
In Japan, nerds control girls with joysticks
For some of you, like this guy (look at his face!), this is a dream come true, no questions asked. The rest will be wondering what the hell is going on here. See, that bicycle helmet affixed with what looks like a robotic crab is a not so subtle, ear tugging navigational device that could ultimately benefit the sight-impaired or anyone, really -- it pulls on the left ear to direct the wearer to the left, on the right to go right. Simple. Granted, it looks ridiculous now, but imagine it miniaturized under a tin-foil helmet and communicating with a hands- and eyes-free GPS navigational system. You've just seen the future, how does it feel? %Gallery-76350%
Video: Scientists create walking goo, Steve McQueen put on alert
Who needs servos and a degree in robotics? The real threat to humanity is brewing in the distillation columns of chemists at Waseda University in Tokyo where researchers have developed a chemical gel that walks like an inchworm. Really, just check the video after the break. The color-changing, motile gel reacts to chemicals in its environment to create its own oscillating locomotion without the need for electrical stimulation. The idea is to augment the electronics in future robotics with these "self organized" chemical systems to avoid additional circuitry complexity and external controls. Our advice? Run.
Moonwalk treadmill trains brain-injured patients to walk
Though there's been plenty of inventions that help brain-injured individuals regain a somewhat normal gait, a split-belt treadmill that oftentimes "pushes people into sloppy versions of Michael Jackson's moonwalk" is certainly one of the most bizarre. The device enables one foot to move up to four times faster than the other or throw one leg into reverse whilst the other moves forward, essentially forcing one's brain to make an "unconscious adjustment" in order to keep him / her from falling down. The goal, now, however, is to figure out how to make the temporary fixes instituted by the moonwalk machine permanent -- without forcing the disabled to live out their lives with Thriller running through their headphones.[Via ShortNews]
Take an actual walk in virtual reality with String Walker
SIGGRAPH has certainly been the home of many virtual reality demonstrations, and this year yet another contraption that (partially) removes us from the world we know will be on display. Similar to the Powered Shoes and Virtusphere seen in years past, the String Walker is a "locomotion interface that uses eight strings actuated by motor-pulley mechanisms mounted on a turntable" in order to let users walk through virtual landscapes. Proprioceptive feedback allows the VR system to translate actual footsteps into the digital world, giving participants a reason to stroll around rather than just twiddling their thumbs. Reportedly, the biggest challenge was mastering the floor, which enables omni-directional walking that simple "treadmill-like" surfaces don't offer and in a simpler fashion than the "complicated" CirculaFloor. Next-generation DDR, here we come.[Via Gizmag]
Head-mounted display helps disabled walk
Although we've seen gait monitors and even prosthetic feet that assist individuals in regaining a more natural stride, scientists at Technion Institute of Technology in Israel have resorted to a head-mounted display for its rendition. This virtual reality device combines "auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease," and provides the wearer with a "tiled-floor image" that apparently assists them in navigating nearly any terrain. The device is meant to take the place of normal muscle feedback mechanisms, and to provide said feedback to these disabled individuals so they can make adjustments and improve the efficiency of their walk. The HMD has already made its way to several medical centers and has purportedly yielded positive results, but there was no word on when this device would be commercially available.[Via MedGadget]
Hilarious press event promotes hilarious walking "game"
Healthy Walking Navi spokesman and star Duke Saraie led a demonstration of his exercise techniques for members of the Japanese press, in order to promote his first DS program. In addition to showing off some of the exercise routines used in the game, Duke talked about his success with exercise books and DVD's. He said (within the context of a press event promoting this particular product) that the DS software is superior because it's more like one-to-one training. The president of developer Dorasu also gave a presentation, indicating that Walking Navi is only the first of six health games planned.Check after the break for two new screenshots. We've also included our favorite picture from the event, where Duke proves how strong his walk-fu is by teaching reporters about walking while they're sitting down at their desks.
Learn to walk with Walking Navi
Now that your brain is sufficiently trained, you can begin figuring out how to move around! Okay, so really it presumes you already know how to walk and are interested in walking as exercise. Too bad, because it's a lot funnier the other way. Just like Cooking Navi and Dokodemo Yoga, Duke Saraie no Kenkou Walking Navi (Duke Saraie's Health Walking Navi) is designed so that users can choose their program, set their DS systems down and have directions barked at them while they follow along. Fitness celebrity Duke Saraie will help you warm up, then lead you through your workout. Wait, workout? We want to try this to see what kinds of "workouts" could be involved other than "walk for a while", "walk for longer than the last time", and "walk for a while, but faster".Try Screenshot Inspecting Navi after the post break.[Via NeoGAF]
"Walk of shame" customer receives iMac replacement
Remember Karl, the frustrated iMac customer from Dublin who was going to prove he could walk his sick iMac 156 miles into service for replacement faster than Apple could pick it up? As it turns out, he apparently never hit the road; Infinite Loop at Ars Technica is reporting that Apple Ireland received word of this much-publicized stunt not long after it hit the media (perhaps they use the digg widget?) and promptly sent a brand new replacement straight to his door about ninety minutes later.Score one for the little guy, but I'm wondering how many more frustrated service customers are going to attempt such a stunt. Maybe, as Jeff at Infinite Loop suggests, next time Apple will have to wait for the customer to actually get a couple miles into the walk before they fire off any more replacement units.
