Articles tagged with "bionic"
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Rehabilitation glove uses artificial muscles
November 7, 2004 A rehabilitation glove powered by artificial muscles has won the recent AUD $10,000 British Council Eureka Prize for inspiring science. Designed by the Quadriplegic Hand Research Unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital, the invention will help people with permanent hand-movement loss to perform the daily functions most of us take for granted. (read more...)
Scientists demonstrate a mind-controlled future
November 5, 2004 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated that a monkey can feed itself with a robotic arm simply by using signals from its brain, an advance that could enhance prosthetics for people, especially those with spinal cord injuries. The robotic arm, or neural prosthesis, is about the size of a child's arm and moves much like a natural arm, with a fully mobile shoulder and elbow and a simple gripper that allows the monkey to grasp and hold food while its own arms are restrained. (read more...)
Buell XB12S Lightning - something completely different
The Buell XB12 Lighting is quite unlike any other roadgoing motorcycle, though it draws a logical comparison with the Cagiva Xtraraptor and Ducati Monster. All three involve massive fuel-injected v-twin motors with minimalistic styling, but the Buell does it differently … very differently. For starters, it has 20% more engine capacity, and produces more torque delivered lower in the rev range than its competitors. The real trickery behind the Buell is not the engine though – it is the radical forged aluminium chassis. The fruit of countless hours of computer simulation of the stresses which motorcycle chassis’ undergo, it is as rigid as it looks, and doubles duty as a petrol tank, while the massive swinging arm also multi-tasks as the oil tank. (read more...)
Berkeley exoskeleton to enhance strength and endurance
The mere thought of hauling a 70-pound pack across miles of rugged terrain or up 50 flights of stairs is enough to evoke a grimace in even the burliest individuals. But breakthrough robotics research at the University of California, Berkeley, could soon bring welcome relief - a self-powered exoskeleton to effectively take the load off people's backs. (read more...)
Super 350cm exoskeleton
Updated May 2005 Whenever robots are discussed, it seems the name tmsuk comes up. The small Japanese robotics company has collaborated with some of the biggest names in electronics to produce commercial robots in the last few years, and their concepts always seem to be innovative and imaginative, not to mention very useful. tmsuk is best known for its security robots Banryu and Artemis, a semi-humanoid security guard for hospitals and office buildings) so when Japan’s National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster, strategised its next generation response to earthquakes and the fires they cause and decided it needed a robot for high risk situations, tmsuk got the call. Built for business, the strapping 3.5 metre Enryu will be called upon to rush into burning buildings, lift heavy objects and rescue people. Neat heh! (read more...)
Australian Bionic Eye approaches human trials
Wednesday September 10, 2003: Researchers at the University of Newcastle are at the forefront of international research into ways that new technology can be applied to restore sight to the blind. By using a tiny electronic circuit to deliver controlled, electronic stimulation to the surviving nerve cells of the retina, the team hope to replace some of the physiological events that take place on a normal, healthy retina. (read more...)
Exoskeletons: Wearable Robots
The human body is unsurpassed in the complexity of its design, performance and efficiency, but there are definite limitations to what we can achieve with a frame that's around 6ft high - we can only carry so much weight, jump so far or run so fast before we reach our physical boundary. Machines that overcome these limitations have been with us for centuries, but we are only beginning to explore the possibilities of augmentation - extending our existing capabilities through wearable robot exoskeletons to create superhuman strength, speed and stamina. (read more...)
Bionic eye offers hope to the blind
Sandia National Laboratories have released a prototype "eye-chip" that may eventually achieve the miraculous goal of restoring sight to the blind. Part of an ambitious project involving several US national labs and Universities... (read more...)
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