Dean Kamen's Robot Arm

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/05/dean-kamens-rob/

by kingkawn • 17 years ago

46 23 17 years ago

NathanKP2• 17 years ago

What I find most interesting is that as the test subject is talking it appears that he is unconsciously gesturing with his robotic arm. Apparently then its use is relatively intuitive and natural such that he can use it express himself as well as pick things up.

ars• 17 years ago

The brain is very interesting - it doesn't have a fixed set of input/output "ports".

Instead it can use whatever is connected to it.

For example someone attached a vibrating belt that always vibrated on the north side of his body. After a while the person wearing it does not consciously notice it vibrating, instead they basically have a new sense - they just always "know" where north is.

Output works the same way - after playing a game for a while you don't need to think: press this finger or that one - you just want the character to do move, and your fingers do it automatically.

If you use a tool for a long time, it essentially becomes (to the brain) an extension of your body.

So same with this device - it doesn't have to be intuitive - after a while it simply becomes a part of his body. The brain does not see it as "else" it's simply another limb.

dkokelley• 17 years ago

A fun experiment relating to the brain's ability to rewire itself:

Put your hand under one of these toys like the image: http://ubuyonline.com.au/images/toys/pictures%20018_0.jpg

Now put an object or your other hand on the other side of the pins (between the pins and the plastic). Watch your transposed 'fingers' interact with the object. Eventually you will start to feel like your fingers have actually moved to the end of the pins.

I think this is the brain rewiring itself to correlate spacial sensation to what the eyes are observing. No matter what causes this, it's an interesting sensation.

NathanKP2• 17 years ago

That is pretty amazing. I remember reading about an experiment in which they had a man wear glasses that reflected the light such that the man saw the world upside down. Within about two weeks his brain has adjusted and he saw things as he had before wearing the glasses. When he took the glasses off he saw things upside down.

It is incredible how flexible the brain is in adapting.

cglee• 17 years ago

Would be scary if it caught those flashing moments of doing something extreme all of us experience and acted on it (ie, walking by a ledge and thinking of throwing your new laptop off it).

RevRal• 17 years ago

walking by a ledge and thinking of throwing your new laptop off it

Whoa, that just gave me chills. When I used to work for fast food, every time I walked by the deep fryer with a bucket of ice I'd wonder about all the things that would happen if I just decided to dump in the ice.

jmagar• 17 years ago

A whole bucket might chill the oil sufficiently to reduce the risk... But I can tell you a single ice cube does make a mess, and a lot of noise.

First the cube sinks, so you won't be able to get it back easily if you want to abort. It rattles around the bottom of the fryer as it melts and then converts to steam. The bubbles of steam rise and splatter violently.

(I got in a bit of trouble that night, as the patrons could hear the commotion in the dining room.)

sp332• 17 years ago

Reminds me of the old movie Forbidden Planet. The aliens made a computer system that responded to thought - the civilization wiped itself out in a single night of unconscious thought. You should see it, it's a fun old sci-fi movie.

rw• 17 years ago

More accurate titles:

Dean Kamen's Cyborg Arm

Dean Kamen's Cybernetic Prosthesis

seldo• 17 years ago

I can think of no sentence that more sounds like the 2009 I dreamed of than "Dean Karmen showed some video of the impressive, mind-controlled robot arm he's invented".

You look at the video and it's clear that the only thing preventing the creation of gigantic robotic exoskeleton battlesuits is budget.

lupin_sansei• 17 years ago

The Japanese have got some interesting prototype exoskeletons

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25131/Japanese+Exoskeletons...

http://www.c00lstuff.com/798/Japanese_Robotic_Exoskeleton/

stcredzero• 17 years ago

Well, that, and they're not very practical. They're big targets, expensive, and don't provide any real advantages in modern combat.

Sarcos corporation developed hydraulically actuated arms with full haptic force-feedback interfaces.

http://www.sarcos.com/teleop_videos.html

I especially like the little video of the large-size arm casually holding an anvil like it's a mug!

If you want mecha, you could do a full-body haptic harness with such existing technology. Make the mecha big enough so that it could contain the pilot and keep his head's orientation the same as the mecha's, and the pilot's own inner ear becomes your dynamic stabilizer!

If you want to build a smaller mecha, immobilize the head/neck and put the harness in the belly. It would still have mobility like someone wearing full plate armor.

berntb• 17 years ago

How about... instead of arms, four (or six) legs? Like a dog, but with retractable wheels at the bottom of the feet so it can go a bit faster on flat terrain but use the legs otherwise.

Hang on some sensors. For weapon systems, a small turret with a heavy machine gun and maybe a mortar. Or something.

In sum, a small jeep that you strap yourself into which can go through any terrain, if it so has to climb.

It wouldn't be as visible as a mecha for targeting. Some carrying capacity. It should be able to carry wounded on top.

Nah... it would be an inferior version of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandvagn_206

antidaily• 17 years ago

The 2008 you dreamed of. Old article.

jonknee• 17 years ago

They're working on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0X1vyWU6bw

hristov• 17 years ago

Well, I am glad Kamen decided to fall back to his core competency.

mdasen• 17 years ago

This is why the Segway annoys me so much. Dean Kamen has an amazing ability to create things that restore great dignity to those who have had unfortunate events remove certain biological function. The iBOT, for those who don't know what it was, was a gyroscopic wheelchair that could go up curbs of up to 5 inches, climb stairs, and even allow the person to travel and "stand" at a height comparable to the height of a standing human being. The amount of dignity and function that it enabled was tremendous. Likewise, this new prosthesis looks amazing. Truly a wonderful thing for anyone in such an unfortunate situation. While somewhat odd looking today, I don't think it's hard to imagine it with some flesh-toned cloth over it (or better material) which really helps one both look and function and fit in well.

And that's what annoys me about the segway. Kamen has such a great engineering mind for things that so greatly affect a person's quality of life - truly life-changing inventions for many people. And then there's the segway. The segway doesn't seem to solve any problem - people have legs, there are a number of ways to balance vehicles that don't need something so fancy to stabilize themselves (bikes, scooters, mopeds), etc. And it takes his genius away from building amazing things like this which can transform people's lives in the way I wish I could help and touch someone as much as he can.

The part where the person was able to feed himself for the first time in 13 years made me tear up. Imagine being able to give that back to someone who had lost it. And it isn't just the function - it's the dignity that comes along with it.

pingu• 17 years ago

I think I'm missing your point about "dignity".

As per your sentiment , we should all be doing whatever we can to restore dignity to those that need it.If you ask that of Kamen , you should certainly ask for it from yourself.

You are presumably reading this on a computer you own , and drive to work on a car you own. You can increase the dignity of a number of people by selling both and donating the proceeds to a worthwhile charity. ( I can think of few things more dignified , than say , for a starving kid in India to be able to go to bed with a full stomach for one night). And charities like giveindia.org make this very possible ...

And yet you haven't ... You might argue that there is no way you could do without either.

How is Kamen's "indulgence" in building a Segway any different? The starving people would be annoyed with you too,as you indulge yourself with luxuries like cars and computers , when they have to debase themselves just to feed themselves and their families.

(No offence intended. :) When I say "you" , I mean us )

camccann• 17 years ago

Remember the old saying, "give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for life"? You're talking about the former. Kamen's inventions that mdasen mentions are like the latter.

Not that helping people out isn't good, but creating tools that let them help themselves is incomparably better. Kamen has demonstrated an ability to do that in ways that most people just can't.

apsurd• 17 years ago

stop wishing, start doing.

zach• 17 years ago

The Segway was his shot at a mass market in order to get mass-market profits and propel his work to the next level of public significance and relevance.

It's a frequently-criticized but expected pattern that you obscured by failing to use the term of art, "sell out."

indranil• 17 years ago

I'd insert a cyborg joke here, but it seems too cliched and insensitive when the invention looks this brilliant!

Dean Kamen's Robot Arm

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