Interesting prosthetic

[keen320]

Just an article I saw recently, and it made me think of the cybernetics thread a little while back.

http://technabob.com/blog/2010/12/13/ar ... tacle-arm/

[Chaotic Neutral]

This makes me wonder: Are there any gun-arms for crippled hunters?

[open_sketchbook]

It's probably bad my initial reaction to a prosthetic was "want!"

[madd0ct0r]

That wasn't quite my reaction, but i've spent to much time reading Doctor Horrible's webcomic recently.

It's certainly interesting, but it seems to work in a flat plane only. Fine for holding a jar so you can take the lid off. impossible for climbing ladders normally.

well, it depends on how far down the forearm it attaches. I'm not really certain wether you can still twist the arm that way if the hand is missing.

no mention of weight either

[Ellindsey]

This makes me wonder: Are there any gun-arms for crippled hunters?

I haven't seen any working ones, but I did go to a convention once where I met a girl who was missing her arm and forearm, and who had an amazing costume including a fake mini-gun prosthetic. She also had as an alternate a really well-made brass clockwork hand with light-up fingertips.

[Broomstick]

Funny, when I was a kid prosthetics was all about cosmetics, about making the fake limb look as real as possible. The results were mostly Uncanny Valley.

Now we have people happily walking around on steel struts in shorts. The younger generation in particular seems less put off by that sort of thing. My theory is that folks vastly prefer a useful, working replacement to something that just looks pretty. That, and a changing aesthetic in society where things that used to be avoided are now considered OK - like tattoos and piercings as other examples.

That said, some of the criticisms I think were a little unwarranted. For example, having it pick up signals from the nervous system - that's quite complicated, and not just because of detecting the nerve impulses. When people lose a limb they may or may not lose nerves. So, for some people you might be able to pick up signals from the end of the stump, for others you might need to look for signaling higher up the residual limb.

I think it's a novel approach to the problem of artificial limbs gripping something. His objections to not having fingers would make more sense if artificial hands with working fingers were more common (though there have been some significant strides in recent years). Likewise, pushing or leaning on the limb - artificial limbs have trade offs, it's not that unusual for an amputee to have more than one prosthesis. As an example, there are artificial legs specialized for walking, running, and bike riding, not to mention it's very useful to have a spare when one of them needs maintenance (which they do from time to time).

I think it's a cool proof-of-concept and would like to see it developed further.

[Simon_Jester]

Now we have people happily walking around on steel struts in shorts. The younger generation in particular seems less put off by that sort of thing. My theory is that folks vastly prefer a useful, working replacement to something that just looks pretty. That, and a changing aesthetic in society where things that used to be avoided are now considered OK - like tattoos and piercings as other examples.

Very possible.

On the other hand, I think part of it is that for the time being we're forced to choose between "useful and inhuman looking" (like the robo-tentacle arm in the OP) and "not useful and not human enough looking." As you say, there's one hell of an uncanny valley problem.

After another generation or two of progress in this field, I wouldn't be surprised to see 'social' prosthetics that more closely resemble the original thing, duplicating the original's function enough to look 'right' to bystanders. At that point, we could well see a shift back to a stronger focus on looking right.

[espatier]

I do not see any advantage of using such a device. I would rather have a opposing thumb with finger due to the fact that is what I was born with and use to.

[Elheru Aran]

You know society has reached an interesting point in acceptance of prosthetics when you've seen a *normal* porno (not a fetish one) that has a guy with one leg going at it with the girl, the prosthetic's standing by the bed... Yeah. Might've been thrown in there for weird-out factor, though. Who knows.

[Broomstick]

I think part of it has been the unfortunate return of many young people from recent wars missing a limb or two. This generation is not willing to sit quietly in hiding in the back bedroom (which used to be an all-too-common fate for the disabled in the past). They'll say "Fuck you - I'm damn well going back to biking/hiking/skiiing/whatever I want to do and if you don't like seeing my fake leg/arm/whatever go to hell."

Personally, I'd much folks be out and about with whatever technology makes them functional regardless of appearances. But then, I'm weird - I married someone disabled (although not with obvious prostheses)

[Lord of the Abyss]

Now we have people happily walking around on steel struts in shorts. The younger generation in particular seems less put off by that sort of thing. My theory is that folks vastly prefer a useful, working replacement to something that just looks pretty. That, and a changing aesthetic in society where things that used to be avoided are now considered OK - like tattoos and piercings as other examples.

In a previous thread about prosthetics it was pointed out that the last generation grew up on movies like Terminator. So they tend to think "Cool!" when presented with an obviously mechanical limb.

[espatier]

I work at a VA hospital (different field "OB/GYN" trauma or Mental health )and over the years we have better prosthetic then in 1960. The newer ones allow the returning vets to be more active than before. Alot still have body image problems but as with a traumatic experiences and time, hopefully even these things will heal.

[spartasman]

In a previous thread about prosthetics it was pointed out that the last generation grew up on movies like Terminator. So they tend to think "Cool!" when presented with an obviously mechanical limb.

Thats funny, because the first thing I thought of after reading the article was Oogie Boogie off of A Nightmare Before Christmas. Immediately after that however I was thinking of Army of The Dead.

[Swindle1984]

In a previous thread about prosthetics it was pointed out that the last generation grew up on movies like Terminator. So they tend to think "Cool!" when presented with an obviously mechanical limb.

Thats funny, because the first thing I thought of after reading the article was Oogie Boogie off of A Nightmare Before Christmas. Immediately after that however I was thinking of Army of The Dead.

You mean Army of Darkness?


"Groovy."

[spartasman]

Yeah. Shit, I haven't seen the Evil Dead series in years, I'm gonna go see if they have it on Netflix right now.