Each arm from Unlimited Tomorrow is custom 3D-printed for a perfect match.
Easton LaChappelle was 14 years old when he designed and built his first robotic arm. Ten years later, he’s now the CEO of his own company, looking to upend the prosthetics industry.
Continue reading… “TrueLimb robotic arms look real and cost less than traditional prosthetics”
Prosthetic Wolverine claws
Prosthetic hands are great. But when you’re designing and building them for children, as Arron Brown does, prosthetic Wolverine claws are even better. Brown, a 3D printing enthusiast in Grand Rapids, Michigan, volunteers for a global organization called Enabling the Future, which designs and prints prosthetic fingers and hands for people in need. (Video)
Continue reading… “3D printed hands turn kids into superheroes”
Brain-operated bionic hand.
We are living in a time where the concept of robotic healthcare isn’t as foreign as it might seem. In regard to healthcare, the surge of innovation is supported by a strong attention to the world of technology and robotics. The evolution of the healthcare market is astonishing. We are becoming more accustom to the idea of automation and exploring the possibilities with open minds rather than anxiety. (Photos and videos)
Continue reading… “Top 26 robotic innovations in healthcare”
3D printing is now commonly used to evaluate procedures involving the mouth and to make personalized implants, prosthetics and tools.
In recent years 3D printing has become an integral part of medical research. In Finland, university hospitals are using the technology in a variety of medical fields, and especially in dentistry.
Continue reading… “Finland becomes a forerunner in dental 3D printing”
Neural interfaces and prosthetics will do away with human disabilities.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it and that is exactly what Hugh Herr has done. At the age of 17, Herr was an accomplished mountaineer, but during an ice-climbing expedition he lost his way in a blizzard and was stranded on a mountainside for three days. By the time rescuers found him, both of his legs were frostbitten and had to be amputated below the knee. Once his scars healed, Herr spent months in rehab rooms trying out prosthetic legs, but he found them unacceptable: How could he climb with such clunky things? Surely, he thought, medical technologists could build replacement parts that wouldn’t slow him down.
Continue reading… “Cyborg technology could end human disability by 2064”
3D printed prosthetic eyes.
U.K.-based Fripp Design has found a surprising application with 3D printing: prosthetic eyes. Fripp Design says it can churn out as many as 150 prosthetic eyes an hour, and sell them for as low as $160 each. That’s a major improvement over glass prosthetic eyes, which not only take weeks to make, but also sell for thousands of dollars.
Continue reading… “3D printed prosthetic eyes could be made faster, cheaper, and better”
Prosthetics of the future may draw their power from juices in the brain.
These days, the most advanced robotic prosthetics take their commands from the brain. And pretty soon, they may be drawing their power from juices in the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid, that is. Electrical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a novel platinum-coated fuel cell that runs off the glucose found in bodily fluids. Their specific aim is to implant the fuel cells in liquid pockets of the brain and use them to run low powered components in a neural prosthetic. They described a prototype this week in the journal PLoS One.
Continue reading… “Prosthetics of the future will be powered by bodily fluids”
Muscle cells (shown here) are grown on a biological scaffold.
A novel implant seeded with muscle cells could better integrate prosthetic limbs with the body, allowing amputees greater control over robotic appendages. The construct, developed at the University of Michigan, consists of tiny cups, made from an electrically conductive polymer, that fit on nerve endings and attract the severed nerves. Electrical signals coming from the nerve can then be translated and used to move the limb.
An advanced prosthesis developed by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, for patients surfing with severe macular degeneration, has received a confirmatory approval from the FDA. This implantable telescope could be a new hope in vision restoration of patients on the receiving end from end-stage macular degeneration.
Continue reading… “FDA Approves Eye Implant For Macular Degeneration”
When viewing the famous optical illusion painting Enigma by Isia Leviant, many people claim to see motion within the colored circles moving against the black and white striped background. Although this optical illusion has been known for a long time, its physiological origins are still unknown.
Continue reading… “Are Optical Illusions Caused By The Brain Or The Eye?”
If you thought prosthetics couldn’t let you “feel” anything but only assist you in the most basic functions, think again. Surgeons have tried a unique method with Claudia Mitchell and have hot-wired the prosthetic to her brain via her shoulder nerves.
Continue reading… “Prosthetics That Feel”
