Static-MT writes to mention a CNN article about what doctors are referring to as the first thought-controlled artificial limb. Arm owner Jesse Sullivan has two prosthetic limbs, and the left one is an advanced prototype in development by the folks at DARPA. From the article: "Sullivan's bionic arm represents an advance over typical artificial arms, like the right-arm prosthesis he uses, which has a hook and operates with sequential motions. There is no perceivable delay in the motions of Sullivan's flesh-colored, plastic-like left arm. Until now, it has been nearly impossible to recreate the subtle and complex motion of a human arm."
The geeks back in the lab couldn't get a date, wanted to keep both hands on the keyboard, so they thought.... hmmm "how about a thought controlled body part to pleasure myself." Of course being geeks they decided on a hand....
What I'd really like to see is the other end of the equation, actual touch perception. And I don't mean if you feel the shock when hitting something with the arm, I mean feeling textures, or perhaps it'd be easier to start off with hot/cold sensors, since we know how to do that with existing equipment.
"What I'd really like to see is the other end of the equation, actual touch perception. And I don't mean if you feel the shock when hitting something with the arm, I mean feeling textures, or perhaps it'd be easier to start off with hot/cold sensors, since we know how to do that with existing equipment."
Honestly, I think that's not important in the least right now. Perfecting this arm for motion would be far more important right now. The sheer idea of having a useable ARM is simple wonderful for an ampute
Easy for you to say (assuming your nervous system is intact). Every para/quadraplegic ("paralyzed") person I know has told me they much prefer getting senation back than motion. We already have all kinds of tech for motion that need not be bionic - down to the crutch. But sensation is even more important to feeling human. And in various scenarios, we're all blind/deaf/numb.
This bionic arm is is an excellent advance, and worthy of every congratulation. But when talking about "the next step", the experts say it's sensation.
If you check out the various videos, they also have a short demo of touch: the same re-wiring of nerves to the pectoral muscle can be used for feedback. In the case of the female patient, she has two fingers worth of touch, and it's pressure sensitive.
Very impressive.
I know this was a joke, but actually it's pretty interesting. She doesn't feel it on her chest she feels it on her arm (the one that isn't their anymore). The weird thing is that their are parts of her chest that you can poke her in, and she will feel it in her arm (so its sort of the opposite of what you were suggesting)
This, of course is the result of some pretty cutting edge surgery.
But seriously, the nice deal about this is that she feels it in her fingers, not her chest. That's the nice thing about re-routing the nerves. The chest is just a nice, large, convenient landing spot.
Actually tactile sensation and feedback to the user IS part of this program. There are groups at UC Irvine, Oakridge, and SSSA (in Italy) developing sensors while Univ. Utah and Chicago PT groups are working on haptic feedback systems. If successful this project will truly revolutionize prosthetics. And for those who have commented that the sensation of touch would be "icing on the cake" but that movement is more important, I urge you to check out various research that has shown that without systems for affe
Research now ongoing that I am aware of: -- Transponder system to provide electronic relay between severed spinal cord sections. -- Artificial eye that connects to the optic nerve.
Those two are "out there" with no products out in time for christmas.:)
However there are heaps of things now on the market (pacemakers, insulin pumps, etc, etc) and more to come. All for the good.
Research now ongoing that I am aware of: -- Transponder system to provide electronic relay between severed spinal cord sections. -- Artificial eye that connects to the optic nerve.
Links? I'm especially interested in the artificial eye, since I'm blind in one eye myself. I'm sure there are plenty of other Slashdot readers who would be equally interested in learning more about these projects.
Wow this is a really great breakthrough at least as far as the article describes it but there are a lot of unanswered questions. The mechanism is basically built by connecting the way other nerves and muscles in the body operate when you do a voluntary action such as clenching your hand or flexing your arm. However this is just the muscle patterns and nerve synapses of one man.
If there is one thing I learned from my failed pre-med career it was that all human bodies interact differently. How will this work
Probably no need, since your brain is fairly adept at re-wiring itself to adapt to new motor controls. Between your brain and a computer, your brain is ultimately better at that kind of fine-tuning.
If you actually bothered to read the article, you'd have seen that it doesn't do that at all - the severed nerves are surgically connected to an intact muscle, such as the pecs, and once the nerves can activate parts of the muscle they attach the appropriate electrodes to the appropriate parts of the muscle.
I get a little irked at the "hope for amputees thing". One of my best friends has an arm to the elbow only, and he doesn't need any hope - he's just fine. He has adapted well, and there are few things he cannot do. He has a fake arm for cosmetic reasons, and it helps him to grip simple things, but lets get real. Amputees are not hopeless, they can do most things you and I can do, and frankly some of them (my friend included) put their two-limb friends to shame with their dexterity.
But if given the oppertunity I bet your friend would like to have a prostectic that works more like a real arm. No one is calling him or other amputees hopeless, just trying to make an adequate replacement for the real thing.
So your friend - and many others with him have adapted. But ask any of them whether they'd like to get their hands back.
I know I would, in their place, adapted or not.
>I get a little irked at the "hope for amputees thing". One of my best >friends has an arm to the elbow only, and he doesn't need any hope - >he's just fine.
Yep. My son was born with no arms or legs, and he is amazing. He's still just a baby (OK, almost "toddler") and he rolls everywhere, manipulates stuff with his arm stubs (1" or less), and just astounds us with what he can do.
He's being fitted for a "training arm" with no elbow now (a lengthy process of taking molds, making "test sockets", checking the fit, coming back, etc.), and I have no idea how he's going to react when he actually gets it. It'll be cool for some things, but I bet his first reaction will be to be ticked off that he can't roll so easily:)
I bet your friend would like to have a fully functional normal hand back.
This technology provides the hope, that one day, in his lifetime, the technology will be available in order for him to have a replacement limb that functions exactly as his original meat grown hand functioned.
That's all the "hope" that was being talked about. Nobody said that people missing limbs are hopeless or completely incapable of adapting.
I have hope that someday Overly Politically Correct Blinded people will once again be able to open their eyes and see that not everything is as terrible and cynical as they like to make it out to be.
You're exactly right. Amputees don't need hope, since they're able to adapt and do just fine as they are. So we're going to immediately stop all research into medical treatments for amputations or paralysis, prosthetic limbs, etc. as none of these people actually need these things.
Sweet, just like Luke Skywalker has. I can't wait until these are available for elective surgery (hey Doc, just lop off righty and give me the super-bionic arm). Add this to my Chiba City shopping list, along with the brain implant so I can jack in to the Metaverse.
I should hope they don't limit any augmentative technology to just super-soldiers. I, for one, would like to have superhuman capabilities without having to join the Army.
I think there is great future in bionics. In addition to limbs as discussed in this submission, scientists have various approaches to bionic sight [wired.com] as well. This subject is truly fascinating. Here is a BBC article on a different project [bbc.co.uk].
Interestingly and unfortunately, much advanced and successful bionics research is being done in South America because of restrictive laws in more typical countries. While I understand the need to protect patients, research for a paper I wrote two years ago indicates tha
That's [cbsnews.com] not Jesse Sullivan. The AP report circulating today was in advance of a press conference to introduce Claudia Mitchell, the first woman to receive one of these arms.
So he's no longer... (Score:3, Funny)
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Re:So he's no longer... (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
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DARPA funds some cool technologies. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:DARPA funds some cool technologies. (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Hear hear (Score:5, Funny)
Thought-controlled? (Score:3, Funny)
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Only if Fearlesss Leader says to keel moose and squirrel.
And it only cost 6 million dollars... (Score:4, Funny)
Rebuild him... better... stronger... faster...
Re:And it only cost 6 million dollars... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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Haven't you seen the IBM commercial
Cheers
The next step (Score:4, Interesting)
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Re:The next step (Score:5, Insightful)
This bionic arm is is an excellent advance, and worthy of every congratulation. But when talking about "the next step", the experts say it's sensation.
Parent
Re:The next step (Score:5, Informative)
Very impressive.
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So when you shake her bionic hand, she feels it on her chest?
Oh man, this is gonna be good...
Re:The next step (Score:5, Interesting)
This, of course is the result of some pretty cutting edge surgery.
Parent
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But seriously, the nice deal about this is that she feels it in her fingers, not her chest. That's the nice thing about re-routing the nerves. The chest is just a nice, large, convenient landing spot.
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And for those who have commented that the sensation of touch would be "icing on the cake" but that movement is more important, I urge you to check out various research that has shown that without systems for affe
Only The Begining (Score:5, Interesting)
Research now ongoing that I am aware of:
-- Transponder system to provide electronic relay between severed spinal cord sections.
-- Artificial eye that connects to the optic nerve.
Those two are "out there" with no products out in time for christmas.
However there are heaps of things now on the market (pacemakers, insulin pumps, etc, etc)
and more to come. All for the good.
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-- Transponder system to provide electronic relay between severed spinal cord sections.
-- Artificial eye that connects to the optic nerve.
Links? I'm especially interested in the artificial eye, since I'm blind in one eye myself. I'm sure there are plenty of other Slashdot readers who would be equally interested in learning more about these projects.
Will it work the same for all? (Score:2, Informative)
The mechanism is basically built by connecting the way other nerves and muscles in the body operate when you do a voluntary action such as clenching your hand or flexing your arm. However this is just the muscle patterns and nerve synapses of one man.
If there is one thing I learned from my failed pre-med career it was that all human bodies interact differently. How will this work
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Re:Will it work the same for all? (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
The Singularity is Near (Score:3, Funny)
Ahhh, childhood memories...
another story (Score:2, Informative)
the have videos (.MOV) of a patient controlling a computer cursor [technologyreview.com] and a prosthetic hand [technologyreview.com]
hope? (Score:3, Informative)
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Yeah, OK, you're politically correct. That's nice.
So your friend - and many others with him have adapted. But ask any of them whether they'd like to get their hands back.
I know I would, in their place, adapted or not.
Dang straight (Score:5, Insightful)
>friends has an arm to the elbow only, and he doesn't need any hope -
>he's just fine.
Yep. My son was born with no arms or legs, and he is amazing. He's still just a baby (OK, almost "toddler") and he rolls everywhere, manipulates stuff with his arm stubs (1" or less), and just astounds us with what he can do.
He's being fitted for a "training arm" with no elbow now (a lengthy process of taking molds, making "test sockets", checking the fit, coming back, etc.), and I have no idea how he's going to react when he actually gets it. It'll be cool for some things, but I bet his first reaction will be to be ticked off that he can't roll so easily
Parent
Re:hope? (Score:4, Insightful)
This technology provides the hope, that one day, in his lifetime, the technology will be available in order for him to have a replacement limb that functions exactly as his original meat grown hand functioned.
That's all the "hope" that was being talked about. Nobody said that people missing limbs are hopeless or completely incapable of adapting.
I have hope that someday Overly Politically Correct Blinded people will once again be able to open their eyes and see that not everything is as terrible and cynical as they like to make it out to be.
Parent
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-- the medical community
I am your father. (Score:2)
Cool links. [blogspot.com]
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Now the Inevitable Question is... (Score:2, Interesting)
Don't think DARPA hasn't already put this on the projected timeline.
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haven't many of our technological and medical advancement been made in the quest for military empowerment?
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Bionics (Score:2, Interesting)
Interestingly and unfortunately, much advanced and successful bionics research is being done in South America because of restrictive laws in more typical countries. While I understand the need to protect patients, research for a paper I wrote two years ago indicates tha
Oblig. (Score:5, Funny)
Physics Today covered this three weeks ago (Score:3, Informative)
Marital aide? (Score:3, Funny)
Old News (Score:2)
More information on Jesse Sullivan [wikipedia.org]
Or better yet, lets Digg [digg.com] the story posted 174 days ago!
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That's [cbsnews.com] not Jesse Sullivan. The AP report circulating today was in advance of a press conference to introduce Claudia Mitchell, the first woman to receive one of these arms.
MST3K? (Score:2)
Major Kusanagi? Is that you? (Score:3, Interesting)
Or at least one like hers?