prosthetic limbs
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Synthetic fiber 'muscles' could lead to brawny robots and prosthetics
Most attempts at giving robots muscles tend to be heavy, slow or both. Scientists might finally have a solution that's both light and nimble, though. They've developed fibers that can serve as artificial muscles for robots while remaining light, responsive and powerful. They bonded two polymers with very different thermal expansion rates (a cyclic copolymer elastomer and a thermoplastic polyethylene) that reacts with a strong pulling force when subjected to even slight changes in heat. They're so strong that just one fiber can lift up to 650 times its weight, and response times can be measured in milliseconds.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Navia, $100 prosthetic limbs and a controlled nuclear meltdown
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. As most of the US bundled up and tried to stay warm during last week's unprecedented "polar vortex," the tech world descended on Las Vegas for the annual International CES. Intel started things off by vowing to use only conflict-free minerals in its microprocessors, and Ford officially unveiled its very first solar-powered car. Manufacturers also showcased several gadgets focused on personal improvement -- check out this smart bed that helps control snoring and the Lumo Lift, a gizmo that gently nags you to stand up straight. Also at CES, MPOWERD launched a colorful new inflatable solar lantern that will retail for just $25. In other green lighting news, Hulger introduced the Plumen 002, an innovative CFL that the company hopes will bring "magic and poetry back to the humble light bulb." Technology isn't just getting greener -- it's also changing lives. Case in point: Mick Ebeling, CEO and founder of Not Impossible Labs, recently traveled to Sudan to produce $100 3D-printed prosthetic limbs for amputees in war-torn Sudan. Apple has given its top-of-the-line workstation, the Mac Pro, a makeover that uses 74 percent less aluminum and steel than the previous generation. For backyard gardeners, Togetherfarm has produced a modular garden box system that snaps together like Lego bricks. And in other Lego news, Lego announced that a new Simpsons set would be produced this year.
Double amputee Oscar Pistorius will race in the London Olympic games
Four years ago, double amputee Oscar Pistorius -- aka the Blade Runner -- was battling bureaucracy (and his own ability) for the chance to compete in the Beijing Olympics. He might not have made the cut for China, but this time around he's secured his ticket to London. The South African athlete was already penned in for the 4 x 400 meters relay, and will now also compete in the singles 400 meters -- said to be his favorite distance. The South African Olympic committee made a last-minute decision to include Pistorius in the team, making him the first amputee track athlete to compete in the full Olympic games. An amazing achievement in its own right, but a race victory on top of the bureaucratic one would surely be the ultimate finish.
Man with bionic arms dies after car crash
Otto Bock's mind-controlled bionic arms let Austria's Christian Kandlbauer work, play and even drive, but it seems the latter passion may have lead to the 22-year-old's untimely demise. Two days after a road accident where the young man's specially-modified Subaru crashed into a tree, Kandlbauer was pronounced brain-dead and taken off life support late last week. It's not known whether the prosthetic arms themselves had anything to do with the crash -- one was found ripped from his body at the scene -- but both he and his vehicle were cleared to drive by local authorities after passing a number of tests. Honestly, it's a tragedy for science and humanity either way.
New prosthesis sends feedback to the brain, might alleviate phantom pain
Even as prosthetic technology advances, the problem of phantom limb sensation persists. Essentially pain, pressure, or some other stimulus attributed by the brain to a limb that has been lost, the exact cause for this is unknown -- and it's a very real problem for amputees. Hoping to better understand (and someday maybe eliminate) the phenomenon, researchers at the University of Jena in Germany have developed a prosthesis that uses sensors and a stimulation unit to send feedback from the patient's artificial hand back to the brain, offering some relief to the individual in the process. So far, the team has had some success, but as the school's Dr. Thomas Weiss points out, there is quite a bit of work yet to be done to determine if "the hand is helpful to only a few people or if it is a therapeutic for all wearers of artificial limbs."
DARPA-funded prosthetic arm reaches phase three, would-be cyborgs celebrate
Last we heard from Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, it wanted a neurally-controlled bionic arm by 2009. Needless to say, the school overshot that goal by a tiny bit, and have now been beaten (twice) to the punch. But DARPA sees $34.5 million worth of promise in their third and final prototype, which will enable the nine pound kit (with 22 degrees of freedom and sensory feedback) to begin clinical trials. Rechristened the Modular Prosthetic Limb, it will be grafted onto as many as five real, live persons, the first within the year. Using the targeted muscle reinnervation technique pioneered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, patients will control these arms directly with their thoughts, and for their sakes and the fate of humanity, hopefully not the other way around. Press release after the break.
Mind-controlled prosthetic arm moving to market in Europe
Germany-based Otto Bock Healthcare has announced that its prototype prosthetic arm which can be controlled by thought is ready to hit the market. The device has been in testing on Christian Kandlbauer -- who doesn't have any arms and has a conventional prosthetic on his right side -- for the past four years. He's the first person in Europe to have a thought-controlled prosthesis installed, but the research is complete and the finished product should soon be available to the public. The arm makes use of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), which uses nerves that controlled the lost arm to control the prosthesis. The nerves are transplanted to the chest in a six-hour operation and enable the prosthetic control. The full details of the arm's operation and controls have yet to be unveiled, but hit up the source link for more information.
Brain Carpet microelectrodes could help translate thoughts into actions more effectively
Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new, more precise way of placing microelectrodes on the surface of the brain to enable patients to turn thoughts into action. Led by Bradley Greger, a professor of bioengineering, the "Brain Carpet" as it's called, represents a "modest advance" in techniques already in use. The Brain Carpet makes use of smaller microelectrodes, and also employs many more than are usually used. The method involves sawing off the skull of the patient, then placing 32 electrodes about 2mm apart on the surface of the brain. Though they've conducted tests on just a handful of patients -- all epileptics -- the technique, they believe could also be used to help people control their prosthetic limbs much more effectively. The electrodes allow detection of the electric signals in the brain which control arm and hand movements. In the tests, patients have successfully controlled a cursor on a computer screen following the operation, and they see applications for brain-machine interface devices in the future. There's no word on when the Brain Carpet will move from the research to reality phase, but the group's findings have just recently appeared in the journal Neurosurgical Focus.
DIY prosthesis all the rage in Tasmania
When the doctors told amputee Mark Lesek that the severity of his injury made him ineligible for a prosthesis, he refused to give up. Left with nothing but his own welding and engineering business, several hundred thousands of dollars, and an indomitable spirit, the Tasmanian gentleman began the quest for an artificial arm. First, he shopped around until he found a doctor who agreed to order an $80,000 prosthesis from Germany -- which eventually broke down (but not before he shelled out $6,000 for repairs on the thing). His next stop was the Branemark Osseointegration Centre in Sweden, where he was fitted with an $80,000 bolt that works as a sort of "artificial shoulder." Still unable to find a suitable arm, the guy teamed up with one of his employees to design and build his own lightweight magnesium "body powered" prosthesis. But that's not all -- he's also working with the University of Tasmania to develop a more agile computer-controlled arm, controlled with "a cap with electrodes which will be interfaced into the computer." Let's hope that all his hard work pays off -- and that he teaches those doctors a thing or two in the process.[Via Switched]
Prosthetic-limbed runner disqualified from Olympics
Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter, has been denied a shot at the Olympics... for being too fast. The runner -- who uses carbon-fiber, prosthetic feet -- was reviewed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (or IAAF), a review which found the combination of man and machine to be too much for its purely human competitors. According to the IAAF report, the "mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able bodied athlete is higher than 30-percent." Additionally, Pistorius uses 25-percent less energy than average runners due to the artificial limbs, therefore giving him an unfair advantage on the track... or so they say. Oscar is expected to appeal the decision, saying a lack of variables explored by the single scientific study calls for deeper investigation into the matter. Our suggestion? Prosthetic legs for all![Via Medgadget]
