[Robotgroup] Cool NASA News

[Ed Xavier Gonzalez]

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>* Fully Integrated Prosthetic Arm Provides Sensory Feedback
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>PROSTHETIC ARM
>A research team led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics 
>Laboratory has developed a prototype of the first fully integrated 
>prosthetic arm that can be controlled naturally, provides sensory 
>feedback, and allows for eight degrees of freedom. Proto 1 is a 
>complete limb system that also includes a virtual environment used 
>for patient training, clinical configuration, and to record limb 
>movements and control signals during clinical investigations.
>
>The natural control and integrated sensory feedback demonstrated 
>with Proto 1 are enabled by Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR), a 
>technique that involves the transfer of residual nerves from an 
>amputated limb to unused muscle regions in appropriate proximity to 
>the injury. During clinical evaluation, a patient demonstrated 
>substantial improvements in functional testing, such as the ability
>to reposition the thumb for different grips, remove a credit card 
>from a pocket, and stack cups while controlling grip force using 
>sensory feedback versus vision.
>
>Visit http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070510A3 for the full story.

<The right to Free Speech does not diminish the value of remaining silent>

Ed Xavier Gonzalez
Oak Hill Laser
ohlaser at swbell.net
(512) 288-5243