Bionic Hand Makes it to Market 159
root_42 writes "The BBC reports that a Scottish company has developed a bionic prosthetic hand, which is now going to market: 'The thumb and fingers can move and grip just like a human hand and are controlled by the patient's mind and muscles ... Mr Gow, who is the director of rehabilitation engineering services at NHS Lothian, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It's the first hand to come to the market that's actually had bending fingers just like your own hand."' The device really seems very "cool", compared to other prosthetics, and seems to allow the patients a wide variety of day-to-day activities. Also check out the patient gallery."
Hmmmm (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
No the question is...does it move in 'slow motion' and make a weird background noise?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Now we just need a violin player and well be all set.
Re: (Score:2)
Two words: (Score:4, Interesting)
I can't imagine making something like this without attachments that extend it's use beyond that of the human hand.
The goal shouldn't be to replace a hand, it should be to provide something much cooler.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Two words: (Score:4, Interesting)
So a limited signal palette is not necessarily a handicap, though the bandwidth obviously depends on nerve density, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Lot of enhancements don't really interest me, but that one did. If they find a way to condense something like that to an implant, I'd be willing to try it out.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Two words: (Score:4, Funny)
Imagine having to walk around all day with your "ribbed for her pleasure" attachment.
Re: (Score:2)
Imagine having to walk around all day with your "ribbed for her pleasure" attachment.
No, the important question is.... (Score:1, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Will it float?
Re: (Score:2)
No Longer Will I Live in Fear (Score:5, Funny)
Yes sir, I can now tell the next robed guy where to shove it when I'm told his aren't the droids I'm looking for.
How Star Wars should have ended (Score:1)
Ben: These aren't the droids you're looking for (waves hand).
Officer (grabbing his chin): Hmmm, no, they're not, but they look.... close enough (I'll get a good bounty for them). "ARREST THEM!"
THE END
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Cost? (Score:4, Insightful)
Cost (Score:2, Funny)
My friend's bionic arm cost him ~$45k. I don't think his can move individual fingers though. So this one could cost even more.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Cost? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
No, that's for the whole rebuild including parts and labour. For that you get a couple of limbs, and eye and ear. Parts cost on the hand should be under a million.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But will it make them better Jedi? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Feedback or Senses? (Score:5, Interesting)
Then, of course, you really want the rest of the sensory package, touch, temperature, pain feedback, and all the other things your hands do for you.
Re: (Score:1)
Be careful. This is Slashdot, after all. Unless they start making bionic penises
Re:Feedback or Senses? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But you'd think they could at least wire up some temperature feedback with some peltiers or something.
But... (Score:1, Funny)
Use for non-organic manipulation (Score:4, Interesting)
I always think of prosthetic hands when I have to help him into or out of a car or down steps. If the hand doesn't respond to the user, or if the user has a bad mental reaction, I wonder how much force can be applied by the prosthetic. Car windows aren't supposed to choke you if they're closed around your neck, but a prosthetic hand has to have the right balance of strength AND speed. What is the back-up release mechanism if there's a problem?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So it's technically a weapon that could malfunction in the right circumstances.. I wonder if he should leave his hand at the reception before entering a bank or a bar.
However given that this thing is supposed to be useful for casual activity, for extended periods of time, mobile, I doubt it has huge
Re: (Score:2)
> reason your phone doesn't have quad Xeon in it.
Because it might burn his penis?
No, wait, you said Xeon, I was thinking Pentium IV. Never mind.
Re: (Score:2)
I know that it's fashionable on /. to be a doomsayer about every new piece of technology that comes along. Guaranteed karma 'n' all. But how to make an off switch was understood as far back as the 18th century.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You have to mentally think the safe word... In Russian.
Nice (Score:3, Funny)
Wow (Score:4, Insightful)
They _do_ look really happy (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Scotland is more than Bagpies and Tartan (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
How could you not mention Scotch?!? And I mean real Scotch; not the crap named after colors and owned by an English conglomerate.
Re: (Score:2)
--
Looking to trade in your girlfriend? Now you can!! [usedgirlfriend.com]
Woohoo! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
"...jerk it off...owww!...fuck me!...noooooo!...ahhhrrrgh!...."
Re: (Score:1)
how strong? (Score:3, Interesting)
Uh-oh (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Uh-oh (Score:5, Funny)
Does it come... (Score:2)
Autonomous... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, you know: "This little piggie went to market...this little piggie stayed home..."
Re: (Score:2)
My first thought was... (Score:3, Funny)
Not the first (Score:4, Informative)
convenient for touch typing nerds like me (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
The third arm attachment would be very, very handy (no pun intended) for lots of other things as well.
But does it have bluetooth? (Score:3, Insightful)
sweet! (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
(sorry, I couldn't resist it either)
It does use an ARM CPU (Score:2)
Just Be careful (Score:2)
Be Careful (Score:1, Funny)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G334mNp8xbY [youtube.com]
Hopefully, this won't happen to anyone else.
A great first step (Score:2)
But does it... (Score:1)
bionic hand job (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Skiboxing (Score:2)
No, we won't, that's a stupid SF gag.
Yes we will.
Look, I'm running the arms, you've got the legs.
But that was when it was 2 limbs each...
Alien hand syndrome? (Score:2)
Why is it always plastic? (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
And while I'm thinking in this direction, why does it have to be shaped like a hand at all? Build a platform out of it with a universal socket that I can put whatever tools I want to on it. A
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
They thought of that... see the faq:
Q. What about the sci-fi robotic hand?
A. Some patients, mainly military personnel, particularly love the robotic nature of the uncovered i-LIMB Hand and prefer not to wear it with a cosmesis glove. However, because of the need to provide a grip surface and to protect the hand from dust and water, Touch Bionics has developed the i-LIMB Skin. This is a thin layer of semi-transparent material that has been computer-modeled to accurately wrap to every contour of the hand
a hit with Slashdot (Score:4, Funny)
Buster (Score:2)
Feature Request (Score:2)
Big Deal (Score:2)
Now, when they figure out how Uncle Fester powered that lightbulb in his mouth, the energy crisis will be over.
does it come with the gggggg noise? (Score:2)
sri
But I don't want it to have fingers like my hand.. (Score:2)
please (Score:2)
Could you give me a Hand here?
Well, (Score:2)
Cue (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Yes, it can already, but first you have to take this blue pill
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Inhale.
Take in as much air as you can. This story should last about as long as you can hold your breath, and then just a little bit longer. So listen as fast as you can.
A friend of mine, when he was 13 years old he heard about "pegging." This is when a guy gets banged up the butt with a dildo. Stimulate the prostate gland hard enough, and the rumor is you can have explosive hands-free orgasms. At that age, this friend's a little sex maniac. He's always jonesing for a better way to get his rocks off. He goes out to buy a carrot and some petroleum jelly. To conduct a little private research. Then he pictures how it's going to look at the supermarket checkout counter, the lonely carrot and petroleum jelly rolling down the conveyer belt toward the grocery store cashier. All the shoppers waiting in line, watching. Everyone seeing the big evening he has planned.
It's nice to see that John Katz is still contributing.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
More like someone copying and pasting the story "Guts" by Chuck Palahniuk (author of "Fight Club"). Supposedly some people faint when listening to him perform readings of it. I have no idea why the GP posted it here, though.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Probably because to make this addition:
It's hard to say what my parents were more disgusted by: how I'd got in trouble or how I'd saved myself. After the hospital, my mom got scared. And said "You're moving with your Auntie and Uncle in Bel-Air."
I whistled for a cab and when it came near. The license plate said "fresh" and there were dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare. But I thought "nah forget it, yo Holmes, to Bel-Air!"
I pulled up to a house about seven or eight. And I yelled to the cabby "yo Holmes, smell you later". Looked at my kingdom, I was finally there. To sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.
All those people grossed out or feeling sorry for me....
Chuck Norris it's not, but I guess "Bel-Airing" people is the popular thing on the internet these days.
That said, I'm glad that you pointed out that the story was written by Chuck Palahniuk. The entire time I'm reading it I can't help but get the
Re: (Score:1)
It will give you mouthful as fast as it can.
Re: (Score:2)