Modular Prosthetic Limbs

[Old Man]

I can't help but wonder what we will have available in 5 or 10 years, when looking at what can be accomplished today:

"A Colorado man made history at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) this summer when he became the first bilateral shoulder-level amputee to wear and simultaneously control two of the Laboratory’s Modular Prosthetic Limbs. Most importantly, Les Baugh, who lost both arms in an electrical accident 40 years ago, was able to operate the system by simply thinking about moving his limbs, performing a variety of tasks during a short training period."

 

[OhEsEcks]

I hope it comes soon as I want out of this meat suit and into a complete prosthetic cyborg body.

 

[Mynight]

Yeah science!

Amazing. The part that really got me was when he closed the robotic hand. I'm full of hope in this field.

20 years time it might be an elective surgery .

 

[Rich_L]

I always think people miss a trick with prosthetics.

For example, if I lost a hand, I'd want at minimum :

1) A bottle opener built into the centre of the palm,

2) A pen light at the end of the index finger that you could switch on and off by pressing the top of the mid-knuckle

3) Third finger cap has two stage top - the tip is a cap for a microUSB male connector which you can charge your phone from the batteries built-in to the body of the hand. The second stage disconnects at the first knuckle and reveals a full USB male connector which you can use to transfer data to the 128Gb storage built in to the finger.

4) The palm of the hand is QI-compatible so you can recharge the hand battery by putting your hand on a QI charging pad.

5) A microphone and speaker in the thumb and little finger that acts as a bluetooth headset and picks up the phone when you fold in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers.

6) On the back of the hand is a built-in speaker with capacitive controls for playback and volume controls and runs off the internal battery.

Would be redonk.

 

[robgmun]

Once they perfect the arms i'm sure manufactures would have a bit of fun and add things like this

 

[ubersonic]

I always think people miss a trick with prosthetics.

For example, if I lost a hand, I'd want at minimum:

Back around 2006 I modded my arm with a 256MB MP3 player that could also be used for storage. As the "skin" on prosthetics is a silicone glove it was hidden from view, was always funny to see people on the bus stare at you as you plugged headphones into a concealed hole in your arm then pressed down on your forearm for a few seconds until Metallica started playing

4) The palm of the hand is QI-compatible so you can recharge the hand battery by putting your hand on a QI charging pad.

That would actually be pretty inconvenient considering ATM all you need to do is roll up the glove, eject the Li-Ion cell and put another in, takes like 5 seconds

 

[porushinobu]

I hope it comes soon as I want out of this meat suit and into a complete prosthetic cyborg body.

will you still be the same person after the transfer, or will something be lost in the process, something you cannot get back

 

[Tom0]

Athletes will be obsolete.

 

[OhEsEcks]

will you still be the same person after the transfer, or will something be lost in the process, something you cannot get back

Don't care. Just want to wreck havoc.

 

[porushinobu]

Don't care. Just want to wreck havoc.

good choice

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Back around 2006 I modded my arm with a 256MB MP3 player that could also be used for storage. As the "skin" on prosthetics is a silicone glove it was hidden from view, was always funny to see people on the bus stare at you as you plugged headphones into a concealed hole in your arm then pressed down on your forearm for a few seconds until Metallica started playing

Excellent.

Can I ask how you lost your arm and how much of it?
I had to do an investigation the other week where 3 people had their arms ripped off in machinery.

 

[ubersonic]

Athletes will be obsolete.

Welcome everybody to Cyber-Wrestlemania! In tonight's main event! it's the immortal Hulk Hogan, who fan may remember is now actually immortal due to his cybernetic upgrades! verses the dead man the Undertaker! who sadly passed away four years ago however his sentient exoskeleton still brings his corpse to PPV!

 

[ubersonic]

Excellent.

Can I ask how you lost your arm and how much of it?
I had to do an investigation the other week where 3 people had their arms ripped off in machinery.

Birth defect, bout 3 inches below elbow. Using prosthetics since childhood actually helps you control them better which is cool, plus I never got put in goal when playing football

 

[Mynight]

Don't care. Just want to wreck havoc.

Robot wars definitely needs a reboot if that happens .

 

[Glaucus]

They also made skin as well. Which will make them even more awesome.

http://www.zmescience.com/research/technology/prosthetic-skin-059433/

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Back around 2006 I modded my arm with a 256MB MP3 player that could also be used for storage. As the "skin" on prosthetics is a silicone glove it was hidden from view, was always funny to see people on the bus stare at you as you plugged headphones into a concealed hole in your arm then pressed down on your forearm for a few seconds until Metallica started playing

That is quite an epic piece of lateral thinking.

 

[ubersonic]

That is quite an epic piece of lateral thinking.

The only drawback was that you needed a mini USB cable to transfer data to/from the arm, and that was more to carry around that a USB stick on a keyring so I ended up just using my keyring stick. The MP3 player also needed to be charged overnight via the cable as it wasn't tied to the arms power source.

Today I use my smartphone for music, as like my arm that's always with me, plus it can stream over WiFi and stuff.

 

[OhEsEcks]

The only drawback was that you needed a mini USB cable to transfer data to/from the arm, and that was more to carry around that a USB stick on a keyring so I ended up just using my keyring stick. The MP3 player also needed to be charged overnight via the cable as it wasn't tied to the arms power source.

Today I use my smartphone for music, as like my arm that's always with me, plus it can stream over WiFi and stuff.

Does your prosthetic do gripping and stuff, or is it just ornamental with the ability to manipulate objects up to a point (such as doing stuff that doesn't need a tight closed grip)?

Reason I ask is, if I had one that was purely ornamental, I'd make it as FABULOUS as possible. Go all out on something that looks biomechanical or steam punkish. I remember a thread on Reddit a while ago with a link to someone that designed amazing looking leg prosthetics.

Edit: Found the site http://www.bespokeinnovations.com/content/gallery

 

[ubersonic]

Does your prosthetic do gripping and stuff

The hand opens/closes at variable speed in response to input strength and the wrist rotates on high output signal (when I say signal I am referring to moving the muscles in the stump as you would to use a hand, this is picked up via electrodes in the socket).

 

[adolf hamster]

proscetics is an area thats going to be getting very interesting before long, were at the stage now where once weve got small power supplies and the brain computer interface sorted it wont be long before we can make proscetics better than the originals.

its a good thing, watched on embarrasing bodies a while back a fellow who had been paralysed in a motorbike accident given the ability to walk again with exoskeleton helping his legs