Tech: iLimb gives amputees near-normal function

[dracodraconis]

Touch Bionics announced that the iLimb is now available in the UK and US. The arm uses myoelectric signals from shoulder muscles to control the fingers, giving the user a range of motion approaching that of a human hand. They also offer a latex sheath that resembles a normal hand, like the one shown in this photo. Check out the gallery that gives you a much clearer idea of just how much function this device is returning to amputees. They apparently had to scale back the limb's capabilities because the limb was, in fact, stronger than a normal hand. They use dynamic touch detection to avoid things like breaking a person's hand when exchanging a hand-shake. Found on iGargoyle where they mull the possibility of hacking it.

Comments

[ancalagon-tb.livejournal.com]

that's pretty darn cool -the banana peeling or opening a can of pop, that's impressive.

Hack it... to have bone crushing hands?

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

I want to see someone cover his or hers in Liefield/Silvestri-style metal sheathing.

[ancalagon-tb.livejournal.com]

It could be a new means of self expression. I mean, if you're going to have a robot arm, you might as well make it look cool.

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Although the company initially offers "realistic skins", I can see, if this things get popular with amputees, someone offering cool mods like the metal sheathing, or tattoos, piercings, etc.

Now, given that DARPA has been trying to this sort of thing for soldiers, imagine one with a gun mount, or a multi-purpose fitting for a machinist (drills, grinders, etc.).

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Liefield/Silvestri?

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/cybforce.htm
http://www.marveldirectory.com/pictures/individuals/c_3d/cable.gif

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, now I know who you're talking about.

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Hack it... to have bone crushing hands?

or to replace the control of individual fingers (which the limb provides) with multiple device control. The risk with taking the cap off the strength, in addition to battery drain, is that people can actually hurt themselves with their own limb. Imagine pinching your hand and accidentally breaking some of those small bones.

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

Also... incidentally... iLimb... really? Does it have wi-fi? Does it glow red when it's receiving messages from the mother brain telling it to kill? Can I plug it into a USB port and download patches off the Internet (some of them of dubious, open-source quality allowing me to hack the non-crushing programming)?

Putting an "i" in front of everything, whether or not it's an Internet peripheral, is really starting to bother me :) .

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

Yep, everything now-a-days has the "i" in front of it, just ot make it "trendy". I'm not sure why they call this one an iLimb, given it has nothing to so with Apple. Maybe it has an iPod attachment?