Robert Downey Jr. and Albert Manero, a #CollectiveProject student who founded Limbitless, surprised a very special child with a new bionic 3D printed arm at no cost to the family.
ProstheticsTag:
Tortoise Gets a Lego Wheel Prosthetic Leg
This little guy was found in Germany. Abandoned and in poor shape, the Hermann tortoise was missing a part of his front leg. Schildi the tortoise soon found himself in the care of German veterinary clinic Bird Consulting International. His injured front leg was in such bad shape that it had to be amputated at the shoulder. While the process probably saved him from further harm, it created an obvious problem with the mobility of the tortoise.
3D Printed Prosthetic Musical Instruments
In romantic notions, they always say that music and the instrument has to be a part of your body. Feel it, understand it, and know it. Or at least that is what the import was from that one movie I watched some time ago. Working to make musical instruments much like a part of the body, two Ph.D music students at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab of the McGill University in Montreal, Canada have designed prosthetic instruments that can be worn, and they play according to the dance movements of the wearer.
Thinking Prosthetics With a Design and Decoration Angle
Designer Sophie de Oliveira Barata takes quite an interesting stance in the Alternative Limb Project, where the prosthetics take a dose of art and design that are not hidden, but flaunted. The way we see it, this is a very radical idea that challenges the society’s perception of prosthetics and how they should be dealt with.
Man Puts Smartphone Dock In Prosthetic Arm
Trevor Prideaux has become a first person to have a smartphone dock embedded in his prosthetic arm. He had problem balancing the phone on his earlier prosthetic, which led to the redesign of the prosthetic. The design was aided by medical professionals and Nokia, and the British national now has a Nokia C7 neatly docked into the prosthetic. Trevor had earlier tried to convince Apple to help him for the new prosthetic, but the iPhone manufacturer didn’t quite show much interest, so he turned to Nokia.
Via T3
Prosthetics that could offer ‘sensation’ to amputees
With the development of technology, researchers are constantly working on better ways to make life easier for amputees. Prosthetics that offer some functions have been around for sometime now, and this latest development could offer “sensation” in the prosthetic limb.
Researchers are looking at a process called Targeted Reinnervation, where severed nerves are attached to skin just above the amputation. A sensor is then positioned over this “reinnervated” skin, and relays information on pressure in real-time; fooling the brain and allowing the amputees to actually feel sensation in the amputed limb.
Via: US News, PSFK
Robots could get a human-like skin
Engineers at University of California at Berkeley have developed a material that could potentially give robots the sense of “touch.” It is a touch-sensitive flexible skin made of electronic sensors. The e-skin can detect pressure ranging from zero to 15 kilopascals, which means robots made using the skin may be able to grasp tiny and fragile objects without crushing them. This patterned nanowire skin may also find use in prosthetics for humans. For now, the “skin” can last through 2000 bending cycles, demonstrating its flexibility. Also, it requires just 5V for operation, making it more useful.
Via: cnet
Mind-controlled bionic arm allows man to drive
Prosthetic limbs, though useful, limit the range of activities that can be performed. Thankfully, all that is changing now. Germany’s Otto Block Healthcare has made an interesting development by creating a bionic arm that can be controlled by the user’s brain.