Man uses thought-controlled robotic arms to drive his car
Quote:
A former mechanic who lost his arms in an industrial accident four years ago is able to drive again thanks to thought-powered artificial limbs.
Christian Kandlbauer, who lost his arms after being electrocuted by 20,000 volts, retook his driving test and passed.
Using the nerves that previously controlled the healthy limbs, the 22-year-old Austrian merely has to think what he wants his arms to do and the command is obeyed.
The thought from his brain creates a particular electrical impulse in the nerve endings at the site of amputation.
Those impulses are picked up by electrical connections to the artificial arm, which respond to the specific impulse and so causing the arm to move as he wants.
Mr Kandlbauer, who became the first recipient in the world of such ‘intelligent’ artificial limbs two years ago, now drives to work in a modified disabled car after passing his test last week.
‘The driving is really important to me,’ he said. ‘But now I can also drink a glass of beer without needing a straw. Now that’s impressive!’
He will be in the German capital Berlin on Friday to further showcase his abilities with his arms after they were fitted in 2007.
Before being fitted, the apprentice, who lost his arms in September 2005, underwent a complex operation in which nerves are relocated.
The Otto Bock health care company invented in the prosthetics in conjunction with medical scientists in Vienna.
‘After this selected nerve transfer surgery, the signals that were once responsible for controlling the arm are used for controlling the new prosthesis,’ said the makers of his arms.
‘Electrodes installed in the socket of the prosthesis respond to these control signals. When the user sends movement signals, a complex electronic analysis inside the prosthesis converts the signals and recognises the movements the user would like to make.’
He now works as a warehouse clerk at the company where he was employed as a mechanic before his accident.
Isn't science awesome? I had no idea we were already giving people thought controlled prosthetics. I thought we were still testing them. Damn, I want me some thought controlled arms...oh wait...
Wow, this scares me...is SkyNet very far off? Humans beware, your extinction is eminent. First the Russian Cyborg Fedor destroys everything before him, and now this is revealed.
Hold me.
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Even if the whole world is against you, one thing will never let you down. That thing is beer.
sure he can drive with it... but i think we can all agree the real question is can he wax the weasel with it?
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I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?
Oh man...I wasn't even thinking of the implications of that when I saw this article! Thanks to you pervs now I am imagining what would happen if I had one of those and I accidentally squeezed a bit to hard...I would be looking for a bionic penis then...oh wait, that may not be so bad.
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Even if the whole world is against you, one thing will never let you down. That thing is beer.
Man uses thought-controlled robotic arms to drive his car
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