More than 40 years ago, Colorado resident Les Baugh lost both of his arms from the shoulder down in an electrical accident. He could never have predicted that, four decades after the accident, he would be the first double amputee ever to test out twin mind-controlled cyborg arms.

The Modular Prosthetic Limbs have been in development at Johns Hopkins University for the past decade. They work with a Virtual Integration Environment, or VIE, which is kind of like a virtual reality version of the prosthetic limbs. When using either the VIE or the physical limbs, Baugh has only to think about moving his robot arms to make them do his bidding.

Before the arms could be fitted, though, Baugh had to undergo a painful targeted muscle reinnervation surgery. The surgery redirected the nerves that once controlled Baugh’s arms and hands, making it possible to control the new cyborg arms with his mind. Once he recovered from the surgery, Baugh was fitted with a custom socket that fits over his torso and shoulders.

The torso supports the weight of the prosthetic limbs and also makes the neurological connections between the brain and the newly rewired nerves. Once the socket was completed and Baugh was fitted with his robot arms, he was able to perform tasks like moving a cup from a counter-height shelf to a higher shelf. He also picked up a ball from the lower shelf and dropped it into a basket on the higher shelf.

Baugh managed to learn all of this with only 10 days of training, and the team was astonished at how quickly and easily he was able to start controlling both arms. He was performing complex motions on both arms at the same time – a feat which can probably be half attributed to the intuitive design of the VIE and the exceptionally advanced prosthetic limbs. But a large portion of the credit has to go to Mr. Baugh, who put on those arms and just started moving them around like they’d always been part of his body.

The post Amputee Tests First-Ever Mind Controlled Dual Robot Arms first appeared on Gajitz.

You know all of those times when you’ve jokingly said something along the lines of “I really could use an extra set of arms”? MIT researchers are making that half-serious dream come true with their “supernumerary robotic arms”” – an extra pair of arms that sit on the shoulders of the user to provide extra holding help. The project focuses on warehouse, factory and construction workers who are routinely tasked with jobs like holding an object overhead while drilling it into place. While it can be done by one person, it’s a pain to accomplish. The MIT team think that they can make such tasks go much faster by simply giving workers a couple more arms.

The extra arms consist of two robotic limbs attached to a lightweight backpack. The weight of the arms is distributed comfortably on the spine so that the wearer experiences no fatigue or pain associated with the Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRLs). When working on a specific task, they don’t have to be controlled by the wearer – they are programmed beforehand to provide the necessary support.

The robotic arms are taught their tasks by a second human moving them into place while the job is being performed. After the “training,” the arms remember their job and perform their tasks without further intervention. The SRL team used the example of a factory worker who installs ceiling panels in airplanes. To do this, a worker needs to hold the panel in place overhead and use tools to attach the panel. This is ordinarily a headache, but with the robotic arms holding the panel in place the worker is free to do his or her job without worrying about the panel falling down.

Another application being considered for the technology is to keep workers steady when they are climbing or just need extra stability. In this case, the arms would be attached around the worker’s waist. They can either stay stable, just holding the worker in the correct position, or they can be programmed to help with actions that require a bit more precision such as guiding a tool or a specific part into the right location. As with other “exoskeleton” or augmented human technology, this concept could also easily be modified to help elderly or disabled people perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible.

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Students from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program can get you moving with a new API-based computer program. They have developed a way to control a person’s arm with a keyboard, joystick and even your iPhone. The program is called Open Limbs and is “a platform for controlling human arms over the internet.” Sound creepy? Well, the students are using it for good as an orthopedic system to help people with weak muscles.

Electric pulses shoot to the nerves that are connected to the muscles, causing them to contract. One of the creators, Will Canine, demonstrated the device at the ITP annual spring show by giving his arm up to the internet, in a way. The electrodes were connected to his forearm, and when a nearby model skeleton was moved, his arm mirrored the movement. Now, maybe he can finally master doing the robot with the help of the internet and Open Limbs.

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The world’s most advanced prosthetic hand is an incredible device that can not only help an amputee feel more comfortable; it can perform advanced functions that no other prosthetic limb has ever been able to do. Actions like typing, clicking a mouse, breaking eggs, and even writing with a pen are possible with the bebionic3 arm.

The bebionic3 is a myoelectric robotic arm that can function in a lot of the same ways a natural hand can do. In the above video, Nigel Ackland demonstrates his bebionic hand which he received after a work accident claimed his hand. The robotic limb is capable of 14 different positions which give its owner a wide range of functions.

Because the hand is controlled by the user’s own muscle impulses, it works almost like a natural hand. It comes with a flesh-toned glove that can be worn to simulate the appearance of a natural hand, but we think it looks much cooler in all its metallic robotic glory.

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