History of Prostetic Limbs timeline.
5 Bionic Exoskeleton Suits of the Future. However much this might sound like the plot of a bad science fiction movie, the rabbit hole goes deeper.
The US Pentagon’s DARPA or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has invested $50 million in robotic exoskeleton projects. The question to ask, then, is will we see a bionic army, roaming the battlefields of the future or will there be some unexpected twist? No, I’m not about to prophesize an apocalyptic battle between man and machine (even though as a die-hard sci-fi fan, I think it would be kinda cool).
No, brute force, contrary to popular belief is not limited to the realms of the military, but extends to the more mundane. The potential applications of powered suits are endless. So, without further ado, let’s explore some of the most incredible exoskeletons (in order of coolness) that may be seen on the battlefields of the future or helping us in our every day lives. Man sees with 'bionic eye' Bionics. Amanda Kitts is mobbed by four- and five-year-olds as she enters the classroom at the Kiddie Kottage Learning Center near Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Hey kids, how’re my babies today?” She says, patting shoulders and ruffling hair. Slender and energetic, she has operated this day-care center and two others for almost 20 years. She crouches down to talk to a small girl, putting her hands on her knees. “The robot arm!” “You remember this, huh?” “Make it do something silly!” “Silly? Almost all, but not quite. Competition Asks: What's The Wackiest 3-D Prosthetic You Can Dream Up? Almost Genius: Women's Prosthetic Limbs as Fashion Accessories. We live in in the post-human world augured by William Gibson.
Need proof? Look at all the freakish examples of plastic surgery on TV. Does Heidi Montag look human to you? So why can't prosthetic legs become the next must-have fashion accessory? Like, tonight I'll take the Birkin bag, the Tiffany bracelet, and the sexy black pull-on leg (complete with sexy black attachable high heel). The concept is the brainchild of Israeli industrial designer Aviya Serfaty who, noting that prostheses are almost always made for men, set out to craft a limb for women.
So Outfeet is smaller and more ergonomically suited to the musculature of women's limbs than you typical steel pole, with a lightweight carbon-fiber frame and a curvy, V-shaped calf. Then it comes in three looks: one for day wear (above), one for evening wear (up top), and one for working out (below). "Outfeet addresses amputee women who still would like to overcome the trauma and lead a colorful and sexy life," the designer says. ALTERING ATHLETES. If “Real Steel” is to be believed, the era of robot boxing will soon be upon us. In last fall’s Hugh Jackman film, machines replace human boxers in 2020, with the latter controlling their motions.
While the reality of such a spectacle may be more than a decade away, the advent of supplemental technologies in sports is very much a possibility. “In 20 years we’ll walk down the street and it’ll be common to see people running and jogging and wearing robots,” said Dr. Hugh Herr, the head of the Biomechatronics research group at MIT. “Maybe they’ll have a knee injury and want to jog without pain.
As the science of biomechanics continues to evolve, the ramifications on sports could be a literal game-changer over the next few decades. Pistorius, 25, runs on a set of carbon-fiber “Cheetah” blades, which are flexible sprinting devices that attach to his prosthetics. A group of seven scientists, including Herr, studied Pistorius and came up with mixed results. “Imagine this storyboard,” Herr said. Micro machines. Steampunk-Prosthetics. Xerposa.