Some time ago I came across an article reporting on a new robotic arm that was so powerful it might have to be downgraded to serve as a “safe” prosthetic.

As prostheses become more affordable and powerful—how soon can we expect people that want to replace their biological arm with one that doesn’t tire, can lift twice as much and for twice as long?

Or, perhaps a more credible scenario; of those that get one out of need, how many will be content with human dexterity when super is an option?

The Scotsman reports the i-Limb, an artificial arm that the creators say is “better than the actual thing”.

The researchers say their new arm is capable of repeatedly lifting a weight of 10kg up above head height and could do so all day, compared with the average human being who would tire within minutes. The wrists could rotate 360° and anyone using it could perform hundreds of push-ups.

However, the sheer power of the limb means its creators are faced with the problem of deciding which patients could be trusted to use it safely, as it has the potential to be used as a weapon.

A weapon. How about marketing it in the U.S.? Dangerous cyber-enhancements could be taken up under the wing of the Second Amendment. A second-and-a-half amendment emerges proclaiming the people’s right to bare super “arms”.

[John German with an i-Limb]

Imagine a support call to a support line in the near future: “I’m sorry sir, we can’t replace your broken arm … it says right here on page 5 in the manual that any tampering voids the warranty. And we’re going to have to remove your current one. Could you come in around six thirty?”

What about the legalities? Would a tuned up arm void the warranty? Could a handicapped individual be denied a limb because he longed to be better, stronger?

The i-LIMB Hand offers a unique, highly intuitive control system that uses a traditional myoelectric signal input to open and close the hand’s life-like fingers. Myoelectric controls utilize the electrical signal generated by muscles in the remaining portion of a patient’s limb. This signal is picked up by electrodes that sit on the surface of the skin. Users of existing, basic myoelectric prosthetic hands are able to quickly adapt to the system and can master the device’s new functionality within minutes.

[via medGadget]

Close to bionic superiority

All jokes aside, the potential of a better-than-biological limbs is becoming increasingly likely. A recent and real example was Oscar Pistorius and the Olympics; a runner athlete with two bionic leg prostheses who was almost barred from trying out. The lack of meat was temporarily considered an unfair advantage because, for example: (a) they are longer and allow a greater stride, and (b) bionic prostheses don’t require oxygen/aren’t subject to lactic acid build-up. Below is a video of Pistorius competing in a 400 meter race in 2007; well worth the watch.

A quick search will get you several good online articles on the Pistorius story. He was allowed to try out in the end, and didn’t make the cut. His prostheses are Icelandic, created by the company Ossur. They’re embedded with AI that learns how the wearer moves.

A surreal future, or real possibilites

If we imagine stronger, faster, limber bionic legs and arms emerging in the near future; is it unreal to imagine that people who have suffered the trauma of losing a limb would want to make up for it by tuning up their prostheses?

Moreover, if it were illegal to bare super- strong, limber or dextrous bionic limbs, there would inevitably be individuals who’d find black market paths around it. It would be surreal to imagine anything else.

Links & References

• i-Limb found on Futurismic
• Scotsman on the i-Limb
• Pictures are copyright ©Touch EMAS Limited.