• About Geek Beat
  • Newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Geek Beat

One of the world’s most recognizable technology news brands, delivering daily tech news, tips, and reviews.

  • News
    • Apple
    • CES
    • Editor’s Choice
    • Google
    • How To’s
    • Microsoft
    • Music
    • Mobility
    • NABShow
    • Photography
  • Episodes
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Connect With Us
    • Chat Rooms
    • DropCams
    • Geek Beat Live!
    • Product Review Submissions
Home > News > University Lab Finds Practical Application of Mind Control

University Lab Finds Practical Application of Mind Control

August 7, 2010 by Jenn Castillo

Five years ago, DARPA announced their plans to undertake an initiative that promised to improve the lives of soldiers who had suffered upper extremity losses. In a speech given at the 24th Systems and Technology Symposium, COL Geoffrey Ling, M.D., Ph.D., manager of DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, detailed plans for fully integrated prosthetic limbs that would be controlled identically to the way biological arms are controlled. (DARPA)

Though the anticipated 2009 completion date has passed (and DARPA seems to have been beaten to the punch in the meantime), the end result provides some proof that good things really do come to those who wait. The project has now reached its third phase with a final design called the Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL), and DARPA has backed the John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in order to begin testing on human subjects.

Contrary to many of its earlier counterparts, the MPL offers an astonishing 22 degrees of motion (at the start of the program, the standard was 3). This includes independent movement of each finger and higher movement capabilities in the wrist, as well as simultaneous motion in joints. Engineers also hope the arm will be capable of bearing weight in a way that mimics the human arm, making it much more functional.

More striking than the improvements in mobility is the arm’s control: the MPL uses a technique called targeted muscle reeinnervation (TMR), in which a series of electrodes are connected to residual nerve fibers in the chest. When the patient thinks about moving their arm, the contracting chest muscles and nerve endings transmit information that’s interpreted by a microprocessor in the prosthesis and translated into physical motion. The Hopkins APL will be relying on studies like the one conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, where they were able to train monkeys to control robotic arms by using their thoughts.

The arm also has a feedback system of sensors, which will transmit information about temperature and pressure back to the patient’s brain. With a bit of refinement, a replacement like this may get to the point where it’s almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Seeing the video below of one of the earlier prototypes really took my breath away. I can’t possibly begin to imagine losing an arm or a hand, but I can believe that controlling a limb naturally after having lost it must be an emotional experience. The second video shows the more recent prototype being controlled remotely.

Human testing will begin within the year, according to the John Hopkins APL press release, and program manager Michael McLoughlin says of their plans: “Initially, we have targeted the quadriplegic patient population because they have the most to gain.”

via (Engadget)

Filed Under: News Tagged With: DARPA, prosthetics, robotics

Comments

  1. e.t. says

    September 28, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    i control minds

  2. Joshua Oiknine says

    August 12, 2010 at 11:58 am

    I wounder why they make the arm close to a human arm when it comes to mobility. If it is a prosthetic why not give it “Better” flexibility options that would be more along the lines of an evolution not just a replacement?

    • Jenn Lowell says

      August 12, 2010 at 6:10 pm

      I’m sure Darth Vader would have agreed with you. It may have made his job a bit easier. Sooo-perrrr-arrrrrrm!

  3. Bruce R. says

    August 7, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    This technology is very, very amazing. I’m sure that in a few years, it will be integrate into a small enough package, it can be added to a person’s body, just like the natural arm…. “B”

    • Jenn Lowell says

      August 7, 2010 at 12:49 pm

      My reaction exactly. A friend of mine who works in the industry says, “I want to build my own army of Darth Vaders!” I’m assuming he doesn’t mean to include the desire for interstellar domination, but you get the idea.

  4. OdinsBeard says

    August 7, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    Very cool tech.

Popular Posts

  • How To Keep A Constant In Excel And Other Spreadsheets by Scott Ellis | posted on April 19, 2012 | under News, Tutorial
  • Complete Sci-Fi Spaceship Size Comparison Chart by giovanni | posted on September 19, 2014 | under News
  • How to Use Your Own Router with AT&T U-verse by Chris Bramble | posted on February 17, 2014 | under News, Tutorial
  • How To Add Sound and Voice to Your Photos by giovanni | posted on July 22, 2013 | under Episodes
  • How Much Money Will Fit in a Briefcase? by John P. | posted on September 26, 2013 | under Episodes
  • How to Access Advanced Boot Options in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 by Robert Albury | posted on September 10, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • How to Build a Dust Collector (with Photos and Video!) by John P. | posted on May 30, 2016 | under Tutorial
  • Tutorial: Adding a Networked Printer with QNAP by Benjamin J. Roethig | posted on July 7, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • How to Set Up a Plex Server on a QNAP NAS by Dexter | posted on April 18, 2014 | under Tutorial
  • Up, Down, Left, Right, Click! by Jenn Castillo | posted on August 10, 2010 | under News

Recent Posts

  • Go Mic Mobile Wireless System for Mobile Filmmakers
  • A RAY OF LIGHT
  • Keep Devices Charged Anywhere in the World with the Twist Plus World Charging Station
  • Final Leaked iPhone 7 Details Before The Big Event
  • Should Snapchat Be A Part of Your Digital Strategy?

Recent Comments

  • Ricardo Garza on Streambox Announces 360 Live Video Streaming to YouTube
  • Sunbya on Review: Blue Lola Headphones bring unparalleled quality
  • Jay Anderson on CES2016 – Autel Robotics X-Star Quadcopters
  • Scott Ellis on CES2016 – The Parrot DISCO – The Worlds First Fixed Wing Consumer Drone
  • Ricardo Garza on CES2016 – The Parrot DISCO – The Worlds First Fixed Wing Consumer Drone

Tags

3D Amazon Apple apps audio bluetooth business CE Line Shows 2013 CES computers fitness gadgets games gaming geek geek beat GeekBeat geek house Google health how-to ios john p. kickstarter Microsoft mobile Mobility Music nabshow new building Other photography Reviews robots Samsung social media speakers storage tech technology travel Tutorial vehicles video vlog

Copyright © 2021 · Geek Media on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in