Cyber-mermaid

This image of the amputee mermaid is all over the place, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to post it on my blog. For many transhumanists, this is a dream come true. More here and here.

A prosthetic that alerts us to the real dangers in life

Humans tend to have an extremely distorted view of risks. We tend to be bothered by low probability but high profile threats, while often completely oblivious to those risks that could actually harm us. Check out this chart:


According to artist Susanna Hertrich, this is because humans have lost their natural instinct for sensing genuine dangers. Her solution? A prosthetic device for lost instincts that literally makes your hair stand on end.

She calls it the Alertness Enhancing Device. It's an art-piece, thesis, and human enhancement device that stimulates goosebumps and shivers that go down your spine and make your neck hair stand up, "waking up the alert animal inside." According to Hertrich, the AED helps you become more alert and ready for the real dangers in life. More here.

Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" prosthesis just about ready for clinical trials

IEEE Spectrum Online has a special report on the current state of prosthethic arm development, including the latest on Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" which is being funded by DARPA. There's also an amazing video showing the arm in action.

Kamen's next-gen prosthetic arm

Scott Kirsner has penned an article for The Boston Globe about the latest work being done by DARPA's Dean Kamen to develop the next generation of prosthetic limbs. Excerpt:

When Kamen, one of America's best-known inventors, first spoke with officers at the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, they told him they were looking for a research and development group that could build a prototype of a new prosthetic arm. Kamen was expecting to hear a list of technical specifications, such as how much the arm would need to lift and how many moving joints it would require. Instead, Kamen says, the Pentagon officials told him they wanted to create an arm that could "pick up a raisin or a grape from a table, know the difference without looking at it, and be able to manipulate it into the person's mouth without breaking it or dropping it."

"Wow," Kamen thought, "that is pretty much beyond the capability of current engineering."

Several hundred US soldiers have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan missing an arm, and several dozen have lost both arms, according to Kamen. The numbers are tragic - yet too small to motivate some of the largest makers of medical devices. But Kamen says, "You don't say no to DARPA, and you don't say no to a challenge that can be that much of a life-changer for people who need it."

Read the entire article and be sure to check out the video.

Dean Kamen's robotic arm

Prepare to be amazed: Dean Kamen of DARPA is developing the next generation of prosthetic arms.