Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird

Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flip the old ones the bird

The only upgrades available for our puny human hands are gaming controller calluses, but if you're sporting an i-LIMB digits hand prosthesis, you can now grab a set of improved fingers. Touch Bionics' "smaller, lighter and more anatomically accurate" appendages are now available worldwide, as well as a new wrist-band unit which houses all the necessary computing power and juice for their function. Best of all, these developments allow more people to adopt the tech than the previous generation, including those with more petite hands or finger amputations closer to the knuckle. We don't know how much it'll cost for a fresh set, but we'll let health agencies and insurance companies deal with that part. With these upgrades and RSL Steeper's latest offering, it won't be long before our flesh-based variants are meager in comparison.

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Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kickstart Kinetic Orthosis Aims to Help Disabled Walk Again

Helping people who can’t walk walk again is an admirable goal, and that’s what the Kinect Kinetic Orthosis is supposed to do. It’s specifically designed for people suffering from neurological disorders that affect the strength of their legs.

Cadence Kickstart exoskeleton

The Kickstart Kinetic Orthosis from Cadence Biomedical will store kinetic energy from the legs and dispense it to propel the foot forward during the extension phase of locomotion. It was inspired by horses, whose long tendons span multiple joints and allow for a highly efficient walking and running. It’s not bulky nor does it have heavy batteries, giving its users more freedom.

https://vimeo.com/46660319

It’s aimed at people who suffered from strokes, incomplete spinal cord injuries, ALS, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Cadence is currently conducting clinical studies aimed at quantifying Kickstart’s benefits and will report this data in 2013. There’s no word yet when it will be available.

[via Medgadget]


Motorola feels Droid Bionic owners’ pain, promises to fix things

Motorola feels Droid Bionic owners' pain, promises to fix things

With a star-crossed history that includes a lengthy delay, mysterious sounds and other issues, Motorola's Droid Bionic has had a bit of a checkered past. Motorola, however, is apparently aware of Droid Bionic owners' woes and is working on a plan to make things right. At least that's what Punit Soni, VP of Product at Motorola Mobility, is promising owners of the device on his Google+ page. Faced with complaints ranging from the Bionic's locked bootloader to its delayed ICS update, a contrite Soni admitted that Droid Bionic owners got a "raw deal" and promised their feedback "will not fall on deaf ears." He then said that the company has a plan for the device and that he is "currently solidifying things to ensure we can publish it, commit and follow up." Soni did not provide specifics on what those plans are though you have to admit that the guy's candor about the Bionic's issues is refreshing. In the meantime, the phone's ICS upgrade is now slated to roll out in Q4. Bionic owners who want to add their proverbial two cents to the conversation can hit up the source link below.

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Motorola feels Droid Bionic owners' pain, promises to fix things originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 20:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Better Bandaging

The AmoeBAND is a bionic concept for band aid. The design features strategic cut-outs so that you can shape it to fit fingers in such a way that it is easy to bend them and not disrupt the bandage. It even features an intelligent dressing material allows you to regularly check wounds from the outside, without upsetting the healing process. Since the bandage material used exudes a leather-like feel, availability in different skin-tones helps it blend in, without overly highlighting the injury.

As the designers explain, “According to research, the when an infection of a wound is detected, the pH value is between 6.5 and 8.5. AmoeBAND’s indicator cross turns purple, alerting the user needs to change it immediately.”

Even the packaging has been redesigned to a matchbox style and even includes Braille instructions!

AmoeBAND is a 2012 IDEA Award Finalist.

Designers: Tay Pek-Khai, Hsu Hao-Ming, Tsai Cheng-Yu, Chen Kuei-Yuan, Chen Yi-Ting, Lai Jen-Hao, Ho Chia-Ying, Chen Ying-shan, Weng Yu-Ching and Chung Kuo-Ting

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(Better Bandaging was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o’ joe (video)

braingate2-mind-controlled-robot-arm

Researchers at the Braingate2 consortium have made a breakthrough that allows people with spinal cord or stroke injuries to control robotic limbs with their minds. The original project allowed subjects with motor cortex-implanted chips to move cursors on a screen with their minds, but they can now command DEKA and DLR mechanical arms to grasp foam balls and sip coffee. Researchers noted that dropped objects and missed drinks were frequent, but improved brain sensors and more practice by subjects should help. To see the power of the mind move perhaps not mountains, but good ol' java, jump to the video below.

Continue reading Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o' joe (video)

Mind-operated robot arm helps paralyzed woman have her cup o' joe (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

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Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G Android Phone Available for $0.01


Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G is available at Amazon for $0.01. If you are in the market for a new phone it can be overwhelming with all the choices out there. Amazon has made a list of their top ten...