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EU scientists develop LifeHand thought-controlled prosthesis
We've seen plenty of developments in neurology and robotics over the years, including the Smart Hand prosthesis and targeted muscle reinnervation, and now researchers at the Bio-Medical Campus University of Rome have announced LifeHand. Connected via electrodes to an amputee named Pierpaolo Petruzziello, the device is able to perform complex movements and is controlled by thought alone. "It's a matter of mind, of concentration," said Petruzziello. "When you think of it as your hand and forearm, it all becomes easier." The five year project, funded to the tune of about $3 million by the European Union, is just the beginning -- they still have to figure out how to make the implants permanent. Get a closer look below.
Prosthetic, robotic 'Smart Hand' has feelings, too
Researchers in Italy and Sweden have spent the last ten years developing what they call the "Smart Hand," a prosthetic hand which enables feeling in its fingertips. The hand -- which was recently wired up to a test patient through a surgical procedure -- has four motors and forty sensors which are linked directly to the brain. In the surgery, the nerve endings of the patient were linked up to receptors in the hand, which allows for feeling in the fingertips of the hand, even though the hand is not really a part of his body. In the video after the break, you can see the greater precision and dexterity this hand allows for. Though the research still needs to be refined before practical use, it looks pretty far along -- and pretty awesome -- to us.
Second-generation air-powered robot hand gets more sensitive
Accordions and robots don't seem to have much in common -- although an accordion-playing robot would make for a killer Weird Al song. Nevertheless, the RAPHaEL hand showed that push-box tech can make for some impressively limber fingers. Now the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory has created its successor, the RAPHaEL 2, and it too has already won an award. This time it grabbed top honors at the ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition with its air-powered digits, which now use a closed loop control mechanism and more advanced data acquisition hardware from National Instruments, enabling it to better sense what it's groping and to adjust pressure accordingly. It's also made of a more durable polycarbonate, but a carbon fiber version is said to be in the works, which should look totally awesome.
Video: Crafthouse's Melissa robotic hand sounds sweet, looks menacing
Is your poor robot getting by without digits? Without them the poor thing can't greet others, catch ping pong balls, or dial up its cyber-shorties. You need the Melissa Hand from Crafthouse, a servo-driven mitt that's just perfect for your little overlord-to-be. All five fingers open and close at the same time, so it's not ideal for rude robo-gestures, but the videos after the break should give you an idea of what kind of trouble you can get into with the 60mm wide paw. The price? ¥60,000, or about $600. If that's too rich you could always buy a single finger for around $50, but those who need the absolute best can spring for the so-called God Hand, a custom-made model that's a bit smaller (45mm wide) and costs a whopping ¥180,000 -- just shy of $2,000 for a set of left and right. For that kind of money we expect something a little more impressive. [Via Boing Boing Gadgets, Impress]
Nokia interface patent fits like an AR-enhancing glove
Okay, you know the drill by now: just because it's in a patent doesn't mean it's happening anytime soon, if ever. With that said, we'd love to see what Nokia had in mind when they concocted this one. As Unwired View recently unearthed, the Finnish phone maker has drawn up a design doc / patent application for comfortable, stretchable material that fits over your skin and is used for device interaction. Gestures and stretches are computed and signaled into nearby computers, phones, or interestingly enough "near-eye displays" -- sounds like we're getting into a bit of virtual / augmented reality territory here -- and they are also tailored to provide feedback via vibration. Again, don't hold your breath on seeing this come to fruition any point in the near (or even long) future, but still, we know what you're thinking: Nokia's gonna have to think of a ton of kooky color descriptions to accentuate any future lineup of input wristbands / fingerbands.[Via Pocket-lint]
Robotic hand controlled by compressed air grasps the concept of delicacy
The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (AKA the RoMeLa Project) at the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has designed and built a prototype robotic hand that is controlled and operated by compressed air. Called RAPHaEL (Robotic Air Powered Hand with Elastic Ligaments), the robot can hold heavier, solid objects, as well as light or delicate ones such as a light bulb or an egg. The hand is powered by a compressor air tank at 60 psi and an accordion style tube actuator, with microcontroller commands operating and coordinating the movements of its fingers. It uses no other motors, and the strength of the grasp is controlled by a change in air pressure, making the hand quite dextrous. RAPHaEL -- which is part of a larger RoMeLa robot project named CHARLI -- has already won several awards, including grabbing first prize at the 2008-2009 Compressed Air and Gas Institute Innovation Award Contest. RoMeLa researchers envision CHARLI one day roaming the VT campus making friends with students and visitors. We look forward to that day, but until then, check out RAPHaEL holding some stuff after the break.
Author claims video games lead to finger deformities in children
We've received a number of unsightly wounds upon our mitts from certain games -- "Mario Party Stigmata" comes to mind -- but according to author Mike Tomlich, a different kind of "silent epidemic" is sweeping through the adolescent gaming populous: Crooked fingers. He claims the repeated actions associated with controller manipulation can lead to "accumulative damage" on the soft hand bones of gamers under the age of eight. It's a theory sensational enough to have merited coverage from Tomlich's local TV news station a few years ago, which we've posted after the break. Tomlich apparently has a plethora of research and the endorsement of a rheumatologist to back up his claims, though we still find them a tad suspect. Sure, our hands are gnarled stubs with digits irrevocably curled in unnatural directions, but that's probably from our tireless journalizing, and not our lifelong penchant for button-mashing.[Via GamePolitics]
Video: Teenager's new i-LIMB prosthetic hand is super cool
We've seen the i-LIMB plenty in the past, but we have to say that seeing it in action -- newly installed on teenager Evan Reynolds -- is pretty impressive. The prosthetic is so sensitive that Reynolds can grip a small bottle of water, no problem. We assure you: it's pretty cool.
Sirtified throws up hand USB flash drives
Let's face it -- it's hard to connect with kids these days, but Sirtified clearly knows what's up. The outfit's forthcoming line of Hand USB Sticks include 2GB of storage space and arrive in three street-approved models: Rock, West Side and a version that looks awfully similar to the Engadget logo. Hold the hand of your choice next month for $35.[Thanks, Kyle]
New Aiko hand sheds the clumsy glove, attains exciting new levels of creepiness
It's official: Dr. Trung doesn't have a day job. He's been tweaking his fembot "Aiko" for almost a year now, and his latest creation is a rather amazing hand that can be used for Aiko or for human augmentation. The last time we saw them the hand was a clumsy golf glove affair, but now Trung has slimmed it down to more feminine, creepo proportions, while keeping the five movable fingers and pretty stunning dexterity for what seems to be a primarily individual effort on the part of Dr. Trung. The next step seems to be feedback sensors, and we still haven't seen this bolted onto Aiko, but we like where this project is headed. Video is after the break.
Aiko gets a new, Starbucks-ready hand prototype
Apparently that sexual harassment suit had a big payoff for Aiko: she's getting a hand. The developers of the fembot have created a hand for her botness, with five movable fingers, 15 movable joints, feedback sensitivity, low power consumption and palatable material cost of $1800. Oddly enough, the appropriate testing grounds for such a hand is Aiko's local neighborhood Starbucks, where she apparently regularly is required to grab straws, cups and cardboard sleeves for coffee she can't drink. How cruel. On the bright side, this hand isn't just for Aiko: it can also be attached to an amputee's forearm muscles, allowing for particularly low cost replacement hand -- though we're guessing it's going to need a bit more work before it's ready for mass human consumption. Video is after the break.
[Updated] Wrath Beta patch notes: Paladin part I
Faith has been rewarded. The Paladin changes have finally been revealed in the Wrath of the Lich King beta patch notes, and from a quick review of things... I'm just blown away. It appears as though Blizzard really seems to be on top of its game and isn't afraid to shake things up in order to get things right. Paladins are getting major changes to key abilities, and all of them seem like direct responses to grievances that have been aired in the past.The talent trees are being moved around yet again (remember when Blessing of Kings used to be the 31-point Retribution talent?), but this time the changes seem to make more sense. There are major overhauls to some talents and abilities, as well as a removal of others. The changes are geared towards streamlining the trees and abilities, Blizzard remorselessly paring down the unnecessary and consolidating what needs to be rolled together. A list of the changes and my analysis after the jump.
Phat Loot Phriday: Digested Hand of Power
Now this is a real offhand! The stats aren't so great, but wait until the next expansion -- surely the most disgusting item in the game will get a nice upgrade, right?Name: Digested Hand of PowerType: Epic Offhand Hand (Ha! Wowhead, Thottbot, Armory)Damage/Speed: N/AAbilities: +10 Stamina, +14 Intellect. Restores 10 mana per 5 seconds. Which isn't great in this day and age, but was pretty nice back at 60, when this thing first came out. But don't worry -- considering that Naxx will be updated, chances are that either the stats will change or that we'll see another version of this one. Looks like, well, a disembodied, digested hand. And considering who did the digesting, yeah -- that's pretty gross. But here's what I'd like to know: whose hand is it? How to Get It: Drops from Gluth, the Abomination boss in Naxxaramas. He's not very appetizing at all, though I don't think he's quite as disgusting as the Abominations in the Undead side of Stratholme -- those guys are really gross. Still, Gluth is no pushover.And as you probably already know, Naxxaramas is being retooled to work as one of the first endgame dungeons in Wrath of the Lich King, which means Gluth will likely find new life, and hopefully his loot along with him. Right now, this offhand (Ha! again) gets dropped at around 15%, though of course we have no idea how the new version of the loot will work.Getting Rid of It: Sells for 9g 13s 52c, and disenchants into a Nexus Crystal (remember those?). Here's hoping we'll see this baby again in the future -- in fact, let's shake on it.
Square Enix announces new Chocobo Tales, Chocobo roguelike
As a promotion for its Virtual World -- yes, it's a virtual world titled Virtual World -- Square Enix held a special event in the beta 3D space unveiling two new Chocobo titles for the Nintendo DS -- Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Maze of Time DS+ (fall 2008) and Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch and the Girl and the Five Heroes (winter 2008). Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: Maze of Time DS+, as you can guess, will be a roguelike starring Final Fantasy figures Cid and Chocobo. This will actually be Square Enix's fourth Chocobo Mystery Dungeon entry, an enhanced port of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii, now with new jobs and a storyline told from a new perspective (Cid's).The chances of this one coming to the U.S.? Given the current "surge" of roguelikes hitting the States, it's very likely we'll get this one! You can preview some of Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon's first screenshots in our gallery below.The second title, Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch and the Girl and the Five Heroes, follows 2007's Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, a minigame collection with RPG and card-battling elements. If you remember our favorable review for the original game, we called it "just about the cutest thing ever." Screenshots below!%Gallery-27055%%Gallery-27058%[Via Duckroll]
Robotic artist does portraits, hoping to get into nudes
A totally ingenious robotics researcher named Sylvain Calinon has created what might be the perfect storm of art and science -- a robot that can recognize and then draw portraits of human subjects. The bot, named HOAP-3, is able to distinguish a human face, take a still frame of that image, and then create a drawing by (robotic) hand based on what it sees. The demonstration is a part of designer Calinon's research into creating robots which can learn through imitation, or in scenarios where they must react to humans. Unfortunately for us fleshpiles, it's only a matter of time before this thing starts doing hilarious caricatures accentuating our worst features. Watch the robot work in the amazing video after the break, and check the read link for a lot more information on the HOAP-3 project. [Via technabob]
DIY hand-based 3D input
If you've ever felt the burning desire to give your index finger a little more prominence in your day-to-day computing exercises, here's your chance. A DIY'er has combined an IR-based, homemade tracking system with a piece of software that he's coded which can translate the IR data into 3D navigation. So far, the system can track the movement of two hands using six individual points (we assume one per axis, per hand). Details are scarce on the project right now, but the prospect of manipulating onscreen images or spaces in three dimensions with a cheap and simple solution is definitely enticing. Check the video after the break to see a finger in action.
Touching was good
Remember when Nintendo sent out 1,000 mannequin hands and held a contest to see who could pose theirs in the most creative way? This was back in the dark ages of 2005, when Nintendo actually had to promote the DS. It was a very different time.Well, as can be expected, at least one of those hands has settled in the natural resting place of all forgotten game curios, knickknacks and simulacra of severed limbs: eBay. With the high bid at only $5 right now, it's a very cheap way to relive the days when Nintendo was so insanely desperate to get DS systems into your hands that they'd send you some hands. [Via GameSniped]
Kogoro Kurata working on a giant, bone crushing mech?
Gulp, this is not going to end well. That mechanized hand is just a piece of Kogoro Kurata's latest "secret" creation. Just imagine a massive, bus crushing hand fitted to a fully functional, giant mech and you'll understand our concern. Please Kogoro-san, we beg you on behalf of the children: don't finish it!
Robotic hand presented in Japan: death by Powerpoint
Remember that creepy robotic hand we saw terrorizing Japan last week? Well now it's on the loose in some conference room picking up eggs, shaking hands, holding a pencil and crushing a cup with its super action Kung Fu Grip. No video of it crushing skulls but we know what's really going on, we know. Its purpose still isn't any clearer (manufacturing-only or also prosthetics?), only that its functionality is meant to exceed that of the human hand. See just one of many videos after the break.
The Nike robotic hand: there is no finish line
Gulp. Meet the 5-finger, robotic hand. We don't know much about it, and quite honestly, we're resisting our every urge to cower in the darkness of our thumb-sucking fear. The flimsy premise seems to be that robotic hands will one day be required to replace the aging work force since so many manufacturing processes have been designed around the dexterity of the human hand. Still, why the uncanny likeness Japan? How about a nice shade of gunmetal grey?
