Bluetooth Prosthetics Help US Marine To Walk Again

Like2Byte writes "CNN is reporting that a US Marine who lost both his legs in Iraq is now able to walk again by using bluetooth technology to coordinate his leg movement. The two legs communicate to keep the man in motion. ' [...] Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the artificial joints so the knees and ankles move in a coordinated fashion. Bleill's set of prosthetics [legs] have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle area. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it's doing, how it's moving, whether walking, standing or climbing steps, for example.'"

What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to him?

[kwabbles]

Will he reflex-kick me in the head?

Re:What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to hi

[snowraver1]

Maybe. All I know is that when he heats up his lunch in the microwave he starts dancing.

How long before this poor guy gets hacked?

[Enleth]

Just imagine - no need for cellphone shoot-em-up games when you can use this direction stick on the keyboard to control a real Marine with Bluetooth!

Re:What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to hi

[antifoidulus]

I don't have bluetooth limbs and yet get the impulse to kick people who use bluetooth headsets in the head....

Re:olympics

[Joe the Lesser]

Another fine gentalman that they will not allow to partisipate in the olympics.

Yea, I couldn't participate either, and I have *real* legs. What the hell.

Re:What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to hi

[kwabbles]

I'd only wear a bluetooth headset if it came with a "Locutus Laser".

Black Hats

[martinmcc]

I wouldn't be going to any black hat conventions if I was him.

Wii?

[IronMagnus]

So... can we expect Nintendo to make a Wii soccer game for him?

Looking to Apple for design.

[Anonymous Coward]

Must've been taking design cues from the packaging engineers that work at Apple. You can't replace the battery in their iPod or iPhone, either.

You just got bluesnarfed!

[Chas]

Enjoy your new "restless leg" syndrome!

Re:What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to hi

[gEvil (beta)]

...people who use bluetooth headsets in the head....

Yeah, I get creeped out when I hear people talking to themselves in the john, too.

The Typical Day

[vjmurphy]

*walk* *walk* *walk*

"Brain -> Legs: Bluetooth connection lost. Re-pairing"

*trip*

Oooohh, great new excuse for speeding.

[LinuxGeek]

Sorry officer, but every time you zap me with your radar gun, my leg floors the gas pedal..

Re:What if I sync my Treo while sitting next to hi

[Stanistani]

We need this technology where I work - the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Fire!

[Anonymous Coward]

From TFA:

Because of built-in motors, the Bluetooth legs allow Bleill to walk longer before he tires.

"We've compared walking several laps in both sets of legs and one, your legs come out burning and tired and these, you know, you sometimes are not even breaking a sweat yet."

The only downside is when his new legs are burning, it's because they used sony batteries.

Hmmmmm.....

[IHC Navistar]

The chips send signals to the artificial joints via bluetooth?

To FORWARD WALK, press 1.
To FORWARD RUN, press 2.
To BACKWARD WALK, press 3.
To BACKWARD RUN, press 4.
To KICK LEFT, press 5.
To KICK RIGHT, press 6.
To move SIDEWAYS LEFT, press 7
To move SIDEWAYS RIGHT, press 8

If you have fallen and can't get up, press 9. An Operator will be with you shortly. Please hold, your call is important to us. Calls will be answered in the order they are recieved. (plays "Runnin' With The Devil" as hold music).

If controls fail to respond, press CTRL+ALT+DEL.

Yarrrr!!!

[dburr]

Shiver me timbers! I betcha Captain Bluetooth [wikipedia.org] will be wantin' one of these to replace his peg leg!

Re:olympics

[calebt3]

He couldn't get to a machine with Firefox.

Help! Grommit!

[spitzak]

It's the wrong trousers, and they've gone wrong! Help!