Robotic Hand Successfully Connected To Amputee

European scientists said Wednesday that a six month experiment, where an amputee was fitted with a thought controlled prosthetic hand, has been a success. According to a CBC report, "the scientists say it was the first time a patient has been able to make complex movements using his mind to control a biomechanical hand connected to his nervous system."

Twenty six year old Pierpaolo Petruzziello, who lost his hand and forearm in an automobile accident says "It's a matter of mind, of concentration... When you think of it as your hand and forearm, it all becomes easier."

The scientists believe it is an important next step, however, "The important piece that remains is how long beyond a month we can keep the electrodes in." said Dustin Tyler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University and biomedical engineer at the VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Segway Inventor To Unveil His Latest Invention

Dean Kamen is at the D: All Things Digital conference to unveil his latest invention, a new kind of artificial arm that he says is vastly superior to existing prosthetics according to Ina Fried's Beyond Binary blog. His new limb provides a greater range of motion, and apparently with just two days of training, Kamen told Fried, "... a soldier that lost both arms in Iraq was able to use the prosthetics to disassemble and then reassemble an M-16 rifle." If you've ever marveled at the beauty of the segway, like I have, you're likely to be imagining something very special in these new prosthetics.

Bluetooth Technology Aiding Amputees

For double leg amputees, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill and Army Lt.Col. Gregory Gadson, new Bluetooth enabled prosthetic legs are helping them to return to a normal life. CNN has the story of how these war vets are rehabilitating using the technology and blazing new ground for future amputees. The prosthetics "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." The devices have not allowed the soldiers to be free from crutches and wheel chairs completely, but represent a major step forward towards normal mobility.

Monkey Controls Robot With Mind

Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina and at the Computational Brain Project of the Japan Science and Technology have collaborated on a project that hopes to develop prosthetic limbs which people with disabilities might one day be able to control mentally. The folks at Duke have "attached electrodes to one of two rhesus monkeys to monitor their brain activities, recording the brain cell responses as the monkey walked on a treadmill at various speeds while simultaneously sensors on the monkey's legs tracked the movements." The signals are sent to a 1.55-metre-tall robot in a laboratory in Kyoto and as the monkey walked, so, too, did the robot. Sounds very promising! In fact the monkey was able to control the robot even after the treadmill they were walking on was stopped, using only visual queues of the robot. The CBC has the complete story.

Dean Kamen's bionic arms

Segway inventor Dean Kamen has put his robotics teams to work and has come to the call of the US military who where desperate to assist more than 1600 Iraq veteran amputees. The result is something truly amazing...