The arm is controlled by a sensor on the foot ? I would have hoped they could have sensors at the shoulder that could somehow use nerves that originally controlled the arm movements. And a selection of hands / grippers ? Since this is still in development I can understand that one 'hand' model doesn't combine fine, precise movements and 'strong' movements due to feedback issues.
Yes, since this is still in testing, Glenn, different kinds of controls may come into play in the future as users provide feedback. The hand grips are quite unique and allow for more freedom of movement than merely a static prosthetic hand would.
"The shoulder, elbow, and wrist pieces can be worn together or separately" immediately brings forth memories of Robert Heinlein's "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" in which the protagonist changes prosthetic hands depending on the current task.
Granted the sensor inputs are still a bit primitive, but look at the adances so far! This is science fiction turned real, and very exciting to see.
It would be nice if the nerves could be used in controlling the arm's movement. For some reason, I'm thinking I saw a prosthetic limb that was using the nerves to control movement.
This is a really interesting article and a worthy R&D project.
That is some neat stuff. I like doing what I'm doing now, but I'd love to be working on something that will have such a profound impact in the immediate quality of people's lives.
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Great stuff. It only makes sense that the advances in electronic motion control could make a big difference in these types of applications, especially in terms of more advanced movements. Sensor inputs could be key to expanding the possibilities of this technology. Thanks.
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