prosthetic
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Recommended Reading: NYC's new subway hub is an architectural marvel
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How James Carpenter Gave NYC Subway Riders a Portal to the Sky by Shaunacy Ferro, Fast Company New York City's latest subway station is a really big deal. Fulton Center recalls an age when public transit stations packed in architectural prowess, and this hub does just that. The main element is the so-called Sky Reflector Net that not only bathes the atrium in natural light, but also reflects that light two stories underground thanks to a cable structure suspended way up above.
Amputees can now control artificial limbs with their minds
Artificial limbs controlled by muscle movement are already a thing, but what if someone developed a way to wire a prosthetic directly into someone's nervous system? That's what a team at Chalmers University have achieved with an implantable prosthetic system that relies entirely upon neural control. Where the existing tech requires surface sensors, this osseointegrated implant is akin to having a USB port wired into your nervous system, offering a much greater level of control. Even better, the device isn't vulnerable to electromagnetic interference from outside sources, enabling the test subject, a lorry driver who lost his arm a decade ago, to use a power drill without worry. The team is already working on treating more patients, and is even researching a way for the limb to send stimulus back to its wearer, enabling them to once again feel the things that they're touching. [Image Credit: Linda Bränvall and Martin Carlsson / Chalmers University]
Researchers manipulate electrical signals to give prosthetic limbs a sense of touch
Adding the sense of touch to prosthetic limbs could significantly improve an amputee's quality of life, so there's a long list of researchers trying to make it happen. Some of those scientists make up one team out of Cleveland, who -- according to their paper recently published in Science -- have successfully recreated the sense of touch for two men missing an arm in a lab setting. Just like a recent experiment conducted by a team from the EU, this group implanted electrodes around three main nerves in the test subjects' arm stumps. A machine then sends electrical signals between the electrodes and the prosthesis when it's attached, something which, the subjects said, felt like electric tingles at first.
Antler-inspired prosthetic merges with your bone to feel like a real limb
Someday, robotic prostheses and exoskeletons might be so commonplace that amputees will no longer have to use something that resembles a suction cup on a stick. In the interim, though, there's ITAP. The technology, which stands for intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthesis, is a type of prosthetic that plugs right into an amputee's bone. This allows them to actually feel that artificial limb and walk like they normally would with two healthy legs, and it also prevents chafing and skin issues common among those who use prostheses. For ITAP to organically merge with one's bones, its creators from the University of London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital drew inspiration from deer antlers. Like antlers, the metal part sticking into the bone is porous, inviting soft tissue to invade it and seal any surface or opening that could be infected by bacteria.
3D-printed mesh gives man with half a skull hope for recovery
People have been patching up their bodies with foreign parts for ages now, but 3D printing has only made that process easier, faster and more emblematic of hope. Case in point: a Chinese farmer named Hu fell three stories in a construction accident, and he has a shot at a normal life again thanks to a 3D-printed titanium mesh that doctors installed where the left side of his skull used to be. The accident left Hu with impaired vision and an inability to speak or write, so surgeons at Xijing Hospital in northwest China took him under the knife for three hours to return his skull cavity to its normal shape. It's too soon to tell if his normal brain function will return, though -- doctors hope his gray matter will slowly start to regenerate now that it has the space to grow. This isn't the first time 3D printed parts have complemented someone's cranium -- doctors in the Netherlands replaced most of a woman's skull with 3D printed plastic after it was discovered that the bone surrounding her brain was slowly growing thicker and threatening her cognitive future.
iPod touch stolen, used by war vet for prosthetic hand control
The opinion people have about thieves in general is pretty low, but a thief who broke into the truck of 27-year-old Afghanistan war vet Staff Sgt. Ben Eberle deserves loathing of a special kind. The thief took an iPod touch especially configured with an app called i-limb, used to control a prosthetic hand like the one seen above that was worn by Eberle. Eberle lost both legs and his right hand in a bomb blast three years ago, and has been using the prosthetic with the help of i-limb and the iPod touch. Using the pinky on the prosthetic hand to manipulate the app, Eberle can adjust the hand in an amazing number of ways. The hand and the app -- and the iPod touch -- all work together as a unit. While the iPod touch is only worth about US$240, San Antonio, TX police say that the thief could be charged with felony theft between $20,000 and $100,000. That's because the prosthetic hand is essentially worthless without the iPod touch and will have to be replaced at a cost of about $75,000. The iPod touch has a special logo on the back of it from the manufacturer, Touch Bionics. San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest of the thief, so if a reader happens to see the unique iPod touch, they can call 210-224-7867 with a tip and possibly help a vet recover some of his dexterity.
Students build a robot arm you control with the wink of an eye
Want proof that you don't need big, specialized equipment to produce a mind-controlled robot arm? Just look at a recent University of Toronto student project. Ryan Mintz and crew have created an arm that you control using little more than a brainwave-sensing headset (which is no longer that rare) and a laptop. The team's software is smart enough to steer the arm using subtle head movements, such as clenching your jaw or winking your eye; it also knows when you've relaxed.
'Cyberathlon' will see disabled athletes compete in powered exoskeleton races
Massive sporting events like the Olympics are becoming increasingly tech-charged, but the games themselves remain unchanged for the most part. A new event called Cybathlon, however, wishes to fully integrate technology into its events, for what's billed as "The Championship for Robot-Assisted Parathletes." Due to be held in Switzerland in 2016, races will feature "pilots" outfitted with powered limb prosthetics, exoskeletons and wheelchairs that can be either commercial products or research prototypes. There will also be a bike race for competitors with muscle stimulation devices, and a fully computerized event pitting brain-controlled avatars against each other on a virtual track. While there'll be medals and glory for some, it's hoped Cybathlon will raise awareness of assistive tech and encourage development in the area. Nothing like a bit of healthy competition to moisten an engineer's brow.
This robotic prosthesis gives drummers a third arm
For many drummers, losing part of an arm could represent a career-ending tragedy. Not Jason Barnes, however. Georgia Tech professor Gil Weinberg has built a robotic prosthesis that not only restores much of Barnes' musical prowess, but effectively gives him a third arm. The wearable offers direct control of one drumstick using bicep muscles; a second, automated drumstick monitors Barnes' timing and plays in sync at a customizable pace, creating a sound that ordinary humans can't match. As you might imagine, the robotic arm has advantages for metal and other musical styles where complex drumming is essential. However, Weinberg also sees uses for the technology in other fields -- astronauts and surgeons could perform complicated tasks in harmony with robots, for example. You can catch a brief demo of Barnes' augmented skills in the video below, and you can check it out in person at Kennesaw State University's Robotic Musicianship Demonstration on March 22nd. [Image credit: Rob Felt/Georgia Tech, Flickr]
Researchers fake sense of touch in monkey brains, hope to build a better prosthetic
Medical prosthetics have come a long way in recent years, but with a few exceptions, artificial limbs still lack the tactility of their fleshy counterparts. Scientists at the University of Chicago are looking to plug those sensory gaps by researching how to simulate touch sensations within the brain, via electrical impulses. By implanting electrodes into the area of the brain that governs the five senses, scientists used electrical stimulation to artificially create feelings of touch and pressure in test monkeys. The Phoenixes posit that this could increase the dexterity of upper-limb neuroprosthetics without extensive patient training and that this is an important step toward restoring touch to those who've lost it, like those with spinal cord injuries. While the scientists realize these operations require incredibly invasive surgery, they believe the procedure's potential could eventually justify the risk for those who don't have other options.
DARPA developing muscle-controlled prosthetic limbs that can feel (video)
DARPA's no stranger to bionic limb research, however two new projects under the agency's RE-NET program focus on improving amputees' link to their prosthetics. RE-NET aims to develop the technology that will connect artificial limbs to existing nerves and muscles. Once that's achieved, users will be able feel with the prosthetic as well as move it as they would a real arm or leg, unlike another project focused on one-way control. Head past the break to watch videos documenting the clinical trials of both studies -- the arms in the clips aren't quite the life-like limbs DARPA promised back in 2006, but they sure are mighty impressive.
Touch Bionics' latest 'i-limb' offers a powered rotating thumb, smartphone controls
Touch Bionics' i-limb prosthetic hand has advanced quite a bit in recent years, adding features like Bluetooth connectivity and upgraded fingers. Now the company has made available its latest revision, the i-limb ultra revolution, which offers powered thumb rotation for some added dexterity, as well as a new "biosim" app (iOS-only for now) that gives the wearer quick access to 24 different grip patterns in addition to diagnostic and training modes. Of course, the hand isn't only controlled using a phone; as with previous models, it relies on muscle signals to shift into different pre-set patterns, which let the wearer perform a wide variety of actions. You can get a glimpse of some of those capabilities in the video after the break.
Turing machine built from artificial muscles may lead to smart prosthetics
In the hierarchy of computing hardware, artificial muscle doesn't really even register: it's usually a target for action, not the perpetrator. The University of Auckland has figured out a way to let those muscles play a more active role. Its prototype Turing machine uses a set of electroactive polymer muscles to push memory elements into place and squeeze piezoresistive switches, performing virtually any calculation through flexing. The proof-of-concept computer won't give silicon circuits any threat when it's running at just 0.15Hz and takes up as much space as a mini fridge, but the hope is to dramatically speed up and shrink down future iterations to where there are advanced computers that occupy the same size as real muscles. Researchers ultimately envision smart prosthetic limbs with near-natural reflexes, completely soft robots with complex gestures and even a switch from digital to analog computing for some tasks. Although we're quite a distance away from any of those muscle-bound ideas becoming everyday realities, it's good to at least see them on the horizon.
Swiss bionic hand offers true sensations through the nervous system
Those wearing bionic hands and similar prostheses often suffer a frustrating disconnect when they can touch an object but can't feel it, even if they're using direct neural control. The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and allies in Project TIME have developed a hand that could clear that psychological hurdle. The design implants electrodes directly in key nerves that not only allow motor input, but deliver real sensory feedback from the artificial appendage -- including needle pokes, much to the test subject's chagrin. An early trial (seen above) kept the enhanced hand separate from the wearer and was limited to two sensations at once, but an upcoming trial will graft the hand on to a tester's arm for a month, with sensations coming from across much of the simulated hand. EPFL hopes to have a fully workable unit ready to test in two years' time, which likely can't come soon enough for amputees wanting more authentic physical contact.
Stanford self-healing plastic responds to touch, keeps prosthetics and touchscreens in one piece
Self-healing surfaces are theoretically the perfect solutions to easily worn-out gadgets, but our dreams come crashing down as soon as deliberate contact is involved; as existing materials don't conduct electricity, they can't be used in capacitive touchscreens and other very logical places. If Stanford University's research into a new plastic polymer bears fruit, though, our scratched-up phones and tablets are more likely to become distant memories. The material can heal within minutes of cuts through fast-forming hydrogen bonds, rivaling some of its peers, but also includes nanoscopic nickel particles that keep a current flowing and even respond to flexing or pressure. The material is uniquely built for the real world, too, with resilience against multiple wounds and normal temperatures. While the polymer's most obvious use would be for mobile devices whose entire surface areas can survive the keys in our pockets, Stanford also imagines wires that fix themselves and prosthetic limbs whose skin detects when it's bent out of shape. As long as we can accept that possible commercialization is years away, there's hope that we eventually won't have to handle our technology with kid gloves to keep it looking pretty.
AMP-Foot 2.0 prosthesis gives the power of real feet, keeps a light step (video)
It was five years ago that prosthetics took a very literal step forward when Arizona State University's SPARKy foot offered a more natural walk, capturing the inherent kinetic energy that previously needed a big motor to replicate. Belgium's Vrije Universiteit Brussel may well carry the torch for the next wave of artificial limbs. Its second-generation Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot (AMP-Foot 2.0) uses a pair of force sensors to determine the leg's relative position and let an actuator build energy when the foot bends, locking the power away to use only when the owner pushes off. The efficiency produces all the torque needed to let a 165-pound person walk, but with just a 30W to 60W motor versus SPARKy's 150W -- a big help to battery life that also reduces the AMP-Foot 2.0's weight to that of the fleshy kind. We don't know how likely it is the Belgian prosthesis goes beyond the prototype phase; if we had our way, it would move just as quickly as future wearers undoubtedly will.
Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird
The only upgrades available for our puny human hands are gaming controller calluses, but if you're sporting an i-LIMB digits hand prosthesis, you can now grab a set of improved fingers. Touch Bionics' "smaller, lighter and more anatomically accurate" appendages are now available worldwide, as well as a new wrist-band unit which houses all the necessary computing power and juice for their function. Best of all, these developments allow more people to adopt the tech than the previous generation, including those with more petite hands or finger amputations closer to the knuckle. We don't know how much it'll cost for a fresh set, but we'll let health agencies and insurance companies deal with that part. With these upgrades and RSL Steeper's latest offering, it won't be long before our flesh-based variants are meager in comparison.
New beBionic hand almost doubles its grip-strength, steered by user's electrical 'skin signals'
RSL Steeper's beBionic3 still packs the same wireless chip, customizable silicone overlays and speed controls of its predecessor, but is now stronger and more durable. It's been redesigned with an aluminum chassis and new thumb and can now handle up to 99 pounds of weight, with almost double the grip-strength of its predecessor. The bionic hand traces faint electrical signals across the user's arm skin, amplifying them to the five digits, which can contort into 14 different grips. The mouse configuration, demonstrated in the video below, lets the user operate both buttons while holding onto the peripheral. The hand will cost between $25,000 and $35,000, depending on both the hardware and software configurations. See how the third-generation bionic limb grabs blocks, ties shoe-laces and wields pens after the break.
3D printed 'Magic Arms' give a little girl use of her limbs
Don't get us wrong, we adore 3D printers and the whole additive manufacturing movement. But, if all you're going to get out of the ABS-jets are some companion cubes and a raptor claw, well then, we don't think there's much hope for the technology. Thankfully there are people out there (much better people than us, we might add), who have turned to 3D printers to actually improve peoples lives. Take, for example, the tale of two-year-old Emma, born with the congenital disorder arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC). The disease causes a person's joints to become locked in a single position, in Emma's case, it was her arms. There are prosthetics that can help, but most are made of metal -- including the anchor vest -- which would make them too heavy for a 25-pound girl. Instead of going off the shelf, doctors turned to a 3D printer from Stratasys to create custom molded parts and a lightweight vest for Emma. The result: the two-year-old who once could not lift her arms is now able to play, color and feed herself. Printing the parts also solves another major issue -- Emma is growing... quickly. The adorable tot has already outgrown her first vest, but her mother just calls the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and has a new one made. The same goes for replacement parts. Should a hinge or brace break, it need only be a matter of hours (not days or weeks) before a new one is delivered. For more details check out the heartwarming video after the break.
Insert Coin: A look back at ten top projects from 2011
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