Posts tagged Prosthetics at Switched

Posts with tag prosthetics

Dog Gets $18K Bionic Leg

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 19th 2008 at 5:15PM

We understand that dog is supposed to man's best friend, but we couldn't possibly imagine dropping nearly 20 grand on a bionic leg for one of our beloved pups. Don't get us wrong, we love our canine companions, but we could buy a pretty nice car or dig ourselves out of credit card debt with that kinda cash.

We assume that Reg Walker has money to spare since he spent £10,000 (a little more than $18,000) to fit his eight-and-a-half-year-old American Bulldog, Coal, with a specially-designed prosthetic limb. What makes the implant unique is that the titanium alloy used mimics animal hide, so the skin and bone will grow and seal the prosthetic to Coal's body.

The successful surgery means that Coal can return to his normal place by his owners side. "He goes everywhere with me - he goes on tour, he's the only dog to have allowed into Live 8 and the only dog that has ever been backstage at the Royal Albert Hall," Walker said.

That's one lucky dog! [From: Daily Mail]

Researchers Devise Neural Implant That Learns Over Time

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 10:12AM

Brain-machine interfaces have done quite a bit in helping handicapped individuals interact with prosthetic limbs, computers and other humans, but a new neural implant concocted at the University of Florida could make all those past devices look archaic.

Put simply, researchers have discovered a method that would enable brain-machine interfaces to "adapt to a person's behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently." Until now, the brain was the instrument doing all the talking while the computer simply accepted commands; with this method, "the computer could have a say in that conversation, too."

In all seriousness, this type of learning mechanism could be game-changing in the world of physical therapy, but we hesitate to give something mechanical inside of our body too much free will, ya dig? [Source: University of Florida News via Physorg]

Eagle, Dolphin, and Other Animals Going Bionic

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 7th 2008 at 11:45AM

You may not be aware, but prosthetics aren't just for humans anymore. Oh no, now medical artisans spend quality time designing and fitting wild creatures with replacement parts after tragic accidents.

Braces to help dogs walk are nothing new, but some adventurous body part sculptors are taking on more demanding project like a new beak for a bald eagle and a tail for a dolphin. One DIY'er even strapped a pair of model airplane wheels to his turtle after its rear legs had been crushed by a car.

The prosthetics are far from perfect. In fact, they're barely functional. Winter got her new dolphin tail so she could swim, but will never be able to return to the wild. The same is true for Beauty, the bald eagle who lost his beak to a bullet back in 2002. His new bill will allow him to eat food with out the assistance of caretakers with forceps, but he'll never be able to hunt or rip apart fish again. [Sources: Daily Mail, AP/AOL News, Make, National Geographic]

New Bionic Hand Good Enough for Typing

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 24th 2008 at 11:04AM

New Prosthetic Hand Nibmle Enough for Typing

Unfortunately, there's a shocking number of Iraqi war veterans returning home every day as amputees, due to shrapnel from improvised explosive devices and other battlefront dangers. Those veterans are becoming a tragic statistic, but they're also driving advances in prosthetic technology.

Covered briefly by Engadget last summer, latest innovation is a new prosthetic hand from a company called Touch Bionics. It not only has five independently movable fingers, but also has controls so precise that wearers can use a keyboard or pick up fragile things.

The hand, called the i-LIMB, relies on muscle movements on the wearer's forearm to control the individual fingers. It also applies pressure back to the user's skin to let them know how much force is being applied to whatever object is being picked up. So, while wearers can't exactly "feel" what they're grasping or interacting with, they at least can control their prosthetic hands as if they could.

The hands are not prototypes and can be purchased now -- assuming you can afford the $17,500 price tag. Between this new hand, a competing bionic hand created by German researchers, and the bionic eye implant from earlier this week, it's clear to see that technology is giving those with disabilities, either due to genetics or war, new reasons for hope. [Source]: LiveScience]

One Step Closer to the Bionic Man

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 24th 2007 at 12:11PM

The 'Six MillionDollar Man' may be ready sooner than you think.

U.S. Scientists are conducting research that may one day lead to the creation of a bionic eye. This optical prosthetic could one day restore vision to those who suffer from glaucoma and other vision-inhibiting diseases.

After training monkeys to look at points of light, researchers inserted ultra-thin electrodes into their brains to stimulate the areas that process visual information. The scientists were able to cause the monkeys to move their eyes the same way they would when following the points of light.

Plenty of hurdles must be overcome, however. In order to create a high enough resolution image for humans to recognize patterns in the real world, the number of electrodes implanted will have to be increased by a factor of at least 100.

Eventually, the patient would wear a pair of glasses with a built-in digital camera that would wirelessly transmit data to a device inside the brain. This device would stimulate the electrodes implanted in the visual cortex to -- finally -- create images that represent what's going on in the real world.

Not quite Steve Austin's X-ray-like vision, but a mind-blowing possibility nontheless.

From BBC

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Dog Gets $18K Bionic Leg

Researchers Devise Neural Implant That Learns Over Time

Eagle, Dolphin, and Other Animals Going Bionic

New Bionic Hand Good Enough for Typing

One Step Closer to the Bionic Man

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