Open-Source Prosthetics

D H NG writes "Wired News has a story about the non-profit Open Prosthetics Project. The organization was founded last year by Jonathan Kuniholm, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at Duke University who lost his arm below the elbow in Iraq. Open Prosthetics Project applies the ethical and intellectual property foundation of open-source software to the task of building better artificial limbs. So far, the project has produced a 'handful' of useful homebrew prosthetic hacks, and is closing in on a solution that would dramatically improve the functionality of the common hook device."

That's because...

[by Anonymous Coward]

prosthetics with MS drivers had a tendency to inexplicably hurl chairs all over the place.

Moving arm - From Jesse to now

[From A Far Away Land (930780)]

Just last week I heard amazing news.
Bionic Arm [www.cbc.ca].

It's really important that almost anyone could obtain this independence restoring medical device should they need one. Open Source ought to help with that, since I can just see some company trying to own a part and charging $5000 for a chip that you could get for $5 in Hong Kong.

New O'Reilly Book?

[saudadelinux (574392)]

So, are they gonna do a "Prosthetics Hacks" book? I see a lot of interesting Perl scripts coming our way ;-)

Re:

[D H NG (779318)]

Yes, you can program your arm to do stuff while you sleep.

Re:New O'Reilly Book?

[From A Far Away Land (930780)]

"Yes, you can program your arm to do stuff while you sleep."

I'd expect it to run FoldingLaundry@Home.

Re:

[kinzillah (662884)]

But it's so much more satisfying to have a woman do it for you.

Re:

[kinzillah (662884)]

I live on my own, and don't even take my laundry home with me.

Better than a hook?

[Fear the Clam (230933)]

closing in on a solution that would dramatically improve the functionality of the common hook device

Ya think? I mean aside from being perfectly designed to hang from the passenger door handle of teenage lovers' cars, a hook it not exactly the most useful interface in the modern world. How do you dial (or push) a telephone with a hook? How do you type with a hook?

Bravo for open source! It's about time someone designed something better than a hook, like maybe five knife fingers or a chainsaw.

It's a pretty complicated situation

[technoextreme (885694)]

The main problem is twofold. The human hand is complicated and we dam well lack any decent actuators. The human hand has a lot of degrees of freedoms. Our fingers can move a remarkable amount of ways. Now you have to realize that there aren't any actuators that can operate like muslces in small spaces without either taking up space or be bulky. Anyway the solution isn't going to come from a robotics person but a materials science.

Re:It's a pretty complicated situation

[RsG (809189)]

Now you have to realize that there aren't any actuators that can operate like muslces in small spaces without either taking up space or be bulky.

What about electroactive polymers? I mean if you want to talk about materials engineering in prosthetics, then it makes sense to look for a solution that's similar to what we already use (namely, muscles). You might even be able to duplicate the overall shape of the hand using a mix of these polymers as "muscle", and some other material as "bone".

Admittedly, it might be neccessary to have an external battery pack to save space inside the artificial hand (since human muscles use metabolic energy, and we can't use that to power prosthetics yet), but that doesn't need to be in the same general area - a belt pack with a power cord up your sleve would do the trick and save on space.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroactive_polymer s [wikipedia.org]

Hehe... Human/Robot arm wrestling

[technoextreme (885694)]

I'd figure I would post this for two reasons. One it just sounds cool and it's related to the discussion. Unfortnately, it seems like we have a long way to go to completely replace a human muscle.
http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/lommas/eap/EAP- armwrestling.htm [nasa.gov]
http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/lommas/eap/amer ah/the-human-opponent.htm [nasa.gov]

I see a trend.

[by Anonymous Coward]

First, it was 'Talk Like a Pirate' Day [slashdot.org], then Microsoft released an "IE Patch" [slashdot.org], and now we're discussing hooks? Sounds like we'll have that global warming [venganza.org] thing reversed in no time!

Cybernetics on the cheap (albeit not Open Source)

[rinkjustice (24156)]

The affordable, disposable implants and prosthetics industry is here now. You can buy three mainstream cybernetic devices for under $40 and six under $500! [zerotosuperhero.com]

tacky jokes

[andyatkinson (896462)]

I can't believe you'd make a joke like "a-hand-up" dept. or "handful" of hacks. If I met you, mano a mano, I'd know how to handle your type, you're nothing but two left hands, all hands and no action, I'd really hand it to you. You're lucky I'm at work now, I gotta take off for my All Hands meeting. I'm assuming someone will take the handoff here to pick up the good fight against types like you.

Re:

[Clever7Devil (985356)]

I can't believe you'd stoop to taking such a topic so lightly Andy. This guy is doing something spectacular here. He's really out on a limb. We should all be thinking about how we can lend him a hand. After all, donating to causes like this doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Benefiting from them however . . .

Re:

[proxy318 (944196)]

Now, look. Now's not the time to be pointing fingers. We should hand off this type of research to those that grasp it, and give them all a big thumbs-up. After all, if they don't take matters in to their hands, who will? There's no need to arm yourself with insults, or to be so touchy.

cool.. oh

[dynamo (6127)]

For a sec there I thought it said Open-Source Prostitiutes.

Re:

[Svet-Am (413146)]

so, you're saying that you want to take a look at their source? my wager would be on a Mom and Dad, just like everyone else.

don't build them...

[TheSHAD0W (258774)]

Grow them. [wired.com] (Just published on Wired's site.)

Yes, but...

[EnsilZah (575600)]

Can your legs run linux?

Open source designs for your... you know...?

[iamacat (583406)]

Should be a hot topic - I am sure most people would rather lose their arm then their manhood.

The next step.....

[ezratrumpet (937206)]

After an artificial arm is all but indistinguishable from a 'real' arm, someone will try using prosthetics as an enhancement. I'm not sure where the third and fourth arms will attach, but someone will try.

What the market demands, someone eventually builds.

beyond prosthetics ... hearing!

[Yonder Way (603108)]

It's high time for other assistive living devices, like Open Source hearing aids. Digital hearing aids are outside of the affordability range for many people who don't have insurance (i.e. thousands of dollars for a pair). I have a hard time believing that the devices are priced competetively at all, and suspect that putting some open source designs out there may really jumpstart the market and improve quality of life for the hearing impaired.

Not to mention, it would be nice for HA wearers to be able to m

Re:

[Yonder Way (603108)]

OK Google says that nobody links to that site so I'm guessing you're the owner since nobody else seems to know about it yet. ;-) In any case, thanks, that's just what the audiologist ordered. I've dropped an email there and asked how I might get involved.

Re:

[MichaelSmith (789609)]

This would be great if it continues towards transhumanism. I really hope open source can help us towards the singularity. It really fits with the idea well.

Since the software and hardware which we use now are open source, to the extent that we understand them, it makes sense for our new infrastructure to be open as well.

Since I am getting on in age, I have decided to go it alone in this direction, since medical science won't be delivering any solutions to ageing in the next hundred years or so. Do you kno