Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

i-Limb System Robot Arm Stronger Than Yours

Touch Bionics, the creators of the i-Limb Bionic Hand, have gone one step further and created the i-Limb System, which includes a full bionic arm.

According to the company, the new arm is able to repeatedly lift a weight of 22 pounds above head height indefinitely. Ordinary humans would tire quickly.

The power of this artificial limb puts its creators into an ethical quandary. David Gow, directory of technology for Touch Bionics, puts it this way:

"The i-Limb system is better than a human arm. It is faster and can lift heavier weights than a human arm. It also looks good, has smooth movement, and operates with less noise than existing prosthetic arms. The technology is new and evolving.

"However, we might have to scale the power down to make it suitable for everyone. With something that has a better than human performance, our challenge is ethical.

"A patient would have the potential to hurt themselves or other people with it as it is actually better than a human arm. It could do damage.

"We have got to take safety very seriously. You have to attach it to the patient's body and that could cause da mage if the weight is too heavy. It could snap their ribs. And it could be pretty scary flapping about."

It can get scary when people have robotic arms that are stronger than ordinary organic arms. However, sometimes they come in handy - like when you're fighting robots.


(Will Smith's bionic arm from i-Robot)

In the film I, Robot, Will Smith finds that a full robotic arm comes in handy when perfectionistic robots go on a rampage for the greater good. "Greater good" as determined by robots.

This kind of mechanical advantage might also be useful in beating arcade games that take unfair advantage of merely organic humans - see Arm Spirit Arm-Wrestling Arcade Game Rampage.

Also, don't forget about some of the original bionic arm discussions, which took place in the 1972 novel Cyborg, by Marin Caidin. This novel is the basis for the well-known television series The Six Million Dollar Man.

"When you think to pick up an object, what happened before with your original arm is repeated. The electrical impulses generated by your brain command everything... The artificial muscles.. which in this case are silastic and vitallium pulleys, then contract, twist, and tighten...

Your arm should have on the order of ten times the gripping and handling strength you once had...
(Read more about the bionic arm)

Read more about the bionic arm in Scotland joins arms race with superhuman strength; via I-Limb Bionic Hand Gets Upgradable Bionic Arm. Update 09-Jan-08: See also this example of a robot arm in failure mode from Ghost in the Shell. And also the cool iArm video. Thanks, readers! End update.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/8/2008)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 4 )

Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")

Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.' - Philip K. Dick, 1974.

SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.

Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'' - Isaac Asimov (1940)

What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...' - Elizabeth Bellamy, 1899.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

Nuclear Plant Restarted To Power AI To Feed Us Dreams
'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'

SpaceX's Starman Tesla Roadster In Space
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'

Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'

CORLEO Robotic Horse Concept Looks Ready To Ride
Imagine digging your heels in to a steam horse!

Who First Thought Of A Tin Foil Hat?
'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'

Warp Drive Tech Back On The Menu
'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'

Huawei Pura X Folding Phattie Phone
Why can't we get more innovative phone configurations?

Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'

Robot Baristas Learn Their Trade Without Paying Royalties
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'

JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'

Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer?
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'

Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'

Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!

Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'

Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'

TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.