bionic
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Otto Bock's prosthetic C-Leg cleared for battle
It's been quite a while since we've heard anything new on the C-Leg, but German firm Otto Bock has now unveiled a sleeker, stronger, and more military-approved version for those in need of a new leg. The microprocessor-controlled knee joint is "the standard prosthesis issued to US fighters who have lost a leg above the knee," offers up a number of "modes" to best suit your current activity, and includes a wireless remote for switching between those modes. The intelligent system within takes data samples of your gait 50 times per second in order to best adapt to your needs, and the internal hydraulics promise "optimal response" no matter how strenuous or demanding the chore. Of course, buying a leg that seemingly puts these natural ones to shame won't run you cheap, as the newest C-Leg will reportedly cost somewhere in the $30,000 to $40,000 range to have it delivered and fitted.[Via Wired]Read - C-Leg used on American soldiersRead - Product Page
Bionic limbs enable legless man to walk again
If you ever question whether or not technology is enriching our lives or contributing to the greater good, you need only glance in the direction of modern medicine to get your answer. Take Peng Shulin, a man from China who had the lower half of his body severed in a tragic accident -- for years he has been bedridden, but recently doctors have engineered an ingenious device that is allowing him to walk again. While there isn't a lot of information about the technology, it appears that Mr. Shulin's body is placed into an egg cup-like casing which is connected to two "bionic legs", and through the use of a downsized walking frame he is able to gain locomotion and move freely. Doctors report that Peng is -- unsurprisingly -- "delighted" with the device.[Via Medgadget]
MIT gurus developing bionic feet / ankles
Leave it to the brilliant minds at MIT's Biomechatronics Lab to crank out yet another bionic limb, as a newfangled mechanical foot / ankle combo is apparently on the minds of more than a few of its researchers. In a recent patent application, the team describes an "artificial foot and ankle joint" consisting of a "leaf spring foot member," flexible elastic ankle, and an actuator motor that applies force to the ankle. Aside from sporting a fairly intelligent system to improving one's gait, it also boasts a built-in safety feature that prevents foot rotation beyond a specified angle, and the internal sensors can also activate the motors at different intervals depending on the surface in which one is walking. The prosthetic feet join a horde of other bionic limbs and appendages meant to make life as an amputee a fair bit easier, and as terrific as this here invention sounds, we're betting the Olympic committee dashes your hopes of illegally obliterating a few running records by barring these from basic competitions.[Via NewScientistTech]
Bionic hand touts can-crushing abilities
Joining the arm, eye, ear, and dolphin (saywha?), the latest bionic creation to come from the doors of the Tokyo Institute of Technology boasts some 33-pounds of crushing power, which could make the Power Glove look a bit weak in comparison. Touted as the "world's first electromechanical prosthetic hand with a grip strong enough to crush an empty beverage can," the creation reportedly weighs a hair over 300-grams and features about half the strength found in the average male hand, but it can extend and flex its fingers in around one second, making sure that the wearer is still a formidible opponent in thumb wars. Unlike similar iterations, however, this rendition utilizes a system of pulleyed cables that run through the fingers, and if all goes as planned, eventual wearers will be able to control the machine by flexing other muscles via "myoelectric control technology." Click on through for a video demonstration.[Via Pink Tentacle]
Bionic armed woman regains sense of touch
Although Matsushita and Activelink have rolled out a rehabilitating robotic suit aimed at giving handicapped individuals their ability to maneuver their own body parts once again, it appears that Claudia Mitchell has regained her sense of movement using a slightly different apparatus. Touted as wearing the "world's first" bionic arm controlled by thought alone, she now has the ability to carry out simple, albeit quite critical tasks again such as cutting up food. Doctors have re-routed the nerve endings in her arm to "a patch of skin on her chest," essentially enabling her prosthetic arm to respond to her thoughts concerning movement. Furthermore, a recent study of her wrist, hand, and elbow functions revealed that she could perform tasks "four times quicker than with a conventional prosthesis," and the team hopes to install "touch sensors" on the artificial hand in order to allow for tactile feedback in the future. Claudia seems to be understandably thrilled with the results thus far, as it even allows her to accomplish tasks such as putting on makeup and feeding herself -- but we're slightly disappointed that she apparently hasn't given a round of Wii Sports a go to build up those oh-so-crucial hand-eye coordination skills, but we're sure that challenge is just around the bend.[Via Digg]
Sarcos to produce US Army's exoskeletons in 2008
While Cyberdyne is off ramping up production for its own superhuman suit, it looks like Sarcos has been tasked with eventually producing an army's worth of exoskeletons here in the US. While armies across the globe have been scouting out robotic enhancements for front line GIs, the head honcho for DARPA's exoskelton program says that units enabling soldiers to "run faster, leap further and carry more will be delivered for Army testing in 2008." Sarcos bested 13 other firms seeking the presumably lucrative contract, primarily because its "system uses just one engine instead of many," and amps up the lucky (or not) individual strapped in by "driving hydraulic fluid via high pressure lines to servo valves on each joint." Of course, OSHA regulations won't allow these combustion engine-equipped suits to operate "inside of buildings," but bionic men / women shouldn't have any qualms busting out a bit of drywall to exploit that loophole anyway.
Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear System gets FDA nod
Nice to see the future, as it looked in the 1970s, finally wrapping its hemp-crocheted arms around us. No, we're not talking jet packs and meals in a pill (though we'd like to be) we're throwin' more bionics at ya instead. The Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear System from Boston Scientific just got the FDA's good house keeping seal of approval in addition to gaining a nod from Health Canada and the CE mark in Europe. The Harmony System, which combines a cochlear implant and behind-the-ear (BTE) device, delivers 120 spectral bands -- 5-10 times more than competing systems -- to the benefit of the severe-to-profoundly deaf with a love for music. That's right, when the implant is combined with the HiRes Fidelity 120 BTE external sound processor, users will gain access to CD-quality processing to help 'em better appreciate music while the automatic gain control adjusts amplification for soft whispers and loud sounds without adjusting clumsy controls. Approved for adults only in the US and available for that sweet, sweet implant by early 2007.[Via Medgadget]
Video Sandwich: August 27, 2006
myFlash = new FlashObject('http://www.gametrailers.com/umremote310.swf', 'swffile', 480, 409, 8); myFlash.altTxt = ''; myFlash.addVariable('umid', 11079); myFlash.write(); Afraid of global warming? Hate seeing gas prices keep on going up? You can blame George W. Bush, but the secret's finally out. This hard-hitting edition of Video Sandwich reveals that every single problem in the US of A is caused by monkeys. Yes. Monkeys. These are no ordinary monkeys, though. They are college educated bionic monkeys that are trying to destroy the world. I have complete faith in our president to stop this evil menace: I mean, imagine how much he's learned due to Brain Age.The heart-stopping news doesn't stop yet, folks. PSP Fanboy revealed recently that PSPs may be used as weapons by terrorists. Well, it looks like I've uncovered one of these terrorists' videos. It shows a scrawny white guy dancing to the music of Loco Roco and is obviously used as a torture device. His awful outfit, and even worse moves, clearly go against all Geneva Convention laws.
DARPA sets goal for bionic arm by 2009
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, otherwise known as DARPA (you know, they created that thing which allows you to read this site -- the internet?), has tasked scientists with the goal of creating a bionic arm that looks, feels ,and works like a real arm by the year 2009. The $55 million project to be managed by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore consists of dozens of teams of biologists, physicists and electronic engineers from both government, university and private organizations, each of which will design and construct sample arms, with one or more of the wining designs is then hoped to go into clinical testing on patients in 2009. Current plans range from arms that are controlled using an implantable device, to arms that are controlled by the nerves in the amputated area, to arms that would receive signals directly from the person's brain. If all the goals of the program are met, the bionic arm would be able to perform tasks as minute as buttoning a shirt button, and even provide sensory feedback.
Bionic eye bypasses optic nerve
Add Portugal to the list of countries working on new technologies to enable the blind to see. In this case, the procedure, developed by Dr. William Dobelle of the Dobelle Medical Institute in Portugal, links the brain directly to a set of eyeglass-mounted cameras. The cams capture images, transfer it to a shoulder-mounted computer and upload the info to the brain. The device is designed specifically for individuals who have lost their eyes and/or use of their optic nerves, and currently has been tested with just 16 patients, including one eyeless woman from the US. Using the $120,000 setup, she can now see flashes of light, though her vision is expected to improve with greater computer power.[Via MobileMag]
