For years, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab has been creating amazing prosthetic limbs that are so sophisticated that they can be controlled by the human brain.
Tag: prosthetic limbs
Meet Sally. She’s a Robot.
She looks friendly, right? But don’t be fooled; Robo Sally (full name: Bimanual Dexterous Robotic Platform) is designed for combat.
Johns Hopkins Bionic Arm Featured on CNN
The world’s most advanced bionic arm is wired directly to the brain so it can be controlled by thoughts. And it was created by Johns Hopkins. Check out the CNN video above!
The Future Is Now: Hopkins Builds Thought-Controlled Robot Arm
Even today, most people who’ve had their hands amputated wear a hook — the same technology they would’ve used if they’d been born a hundred years ago. But we’re on the verge of a breakthrough in the science of prosthetics — in part thanks to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab — where new robot arms and hands will be looped in to its wearer’s thoughts, allowing for thought-controlled movement.
Johns Hopkins APL Names Best Inventions of 2011
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab is sort of like a playroom for really smart people, but instead of Legos they use microminature motors and undersea acoustic technologies. This is physics in action, folks, and it’s dramatic.
Last year, 460 scientists at the APL disclosed 259 inventions — an all time high! — but only two get honored at the Invention of the Year Award Reception (yes, trophies were provided).
The top invention of 2011 was the Ultra-Compact Multitasking Motor Controller, which is — well, it’s kind of exactly what it sounds like. By “ultra-compact,” the device’s inventors (Harry Eaton and Douglas Wenstrand) mean “the size of a dime.” Which is, indeed, ultra-compact. The controller is designed to coordinate movement in a state-of-the-art prosthetic arm, which features movements so nuanced that each individual finger can move independently. Previously, most similar controllers were three times the size of this one — and it’s able to coordinate with the 10 motors within the prosthetic arm, to boot.
