Energy News  
Scientists Work On Bionic Arm For Amputees

Better than the arm of a Chinese prisoner - hey?
by Staff Writers
Salt Lake City (UPI) Apr 26, 2006
University of Utah scientists have joined a team of U.S. researchers in developing a bionic arm for amputees. "We want to try to get an artificial arm that works and feels and looks like a real arm," said University of Utah Bioengineer Greg Clark, the university's principal investigator. "The goal is not to develop a superarm."

The Utah researchers -- who might gain up to $10.3 million in funding for the four-year project -- are focusing on turning signals from the nervous system into movement and sending touch signals back to the brain.

Researchers note many people who undergo arm amputations avoid using their prosthetic limbs because they cannot feel sensations from the pseudo limb.

"If they're not looking (at the arm), they might not notice if an object slips on to the floor," said Reid Harrison, a University of Utah engineer who is helping develop microchips for a bionic arm to access the nervous system. The chips would intercept electrical signals and translate then to trigger mechanical parts in the bionic arm.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is leading the project, with the other universities involved acting as subcontractors.

Source: United Press International

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
- All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Cash Payments For Organs
Washington (UPI) Apr 24, 2006
The widening gap between patients needing transplanted organs and the number of persons willing to give them is prompting some experts to call for new -- and often radical -- ways to spur donations.







  • Chinese Oil Safari Hits Nigeria
  • Milestone Achieved in the Development of Biological Fuel Cells
  • Work Starts On Controversial Siberian Pipeline
  • Renewables Still Struggling To Seize Big Share Of Energy Market

  • The Real Toll Of Chernobyl Remains Hidden In Background Noise
  • Russian Scientists Downplay Fallout From Chernobyl Disaster
  • Twenty Years On Effects From Chernobyl Disaster Go On
  • Nuclear Not Only Energy Solution Say Some British Lawmakers

  • The 'Oxygen Imperative'
  • NASA Studies Air Pollution Flowing Into US From Abroad
  • Carbon Balance Killed The Dinos
  • Earth's Turbulence Stirs Things Up Slower Than Expected

  • Diverse Tropical Forests Defy Metabolic Ecology Models
  • Developing Nations May Save The Tropical Forest
  • Imported Dream Tree Becomes A Nightmare For Kenya
  • Monkey-Dung Offers Clues About Land-Use, Wildlife Ecology

  • Alternatives To The Use Of Nitrate As A Fertiliser
  • Researchers Trawl The Origins Of Sea Fishing In Northern Europe
  • Greens Happy As EU Tightens GMO Testing
  • Killing Wolves May Not Protect Livestock Efficiently

  • Prototype For Revolutionary One-Metre Wide Vehicle Is Developed
  • Highly Realistic Driving Simulator Helps Develop Safer Cars
  • Research On The Road To Intelligent Cars
  • Volvo Promises Hybrid Truck Engines Within Three Years

  • Test Pilot Crossfield Killed In Private Plane Crash
  • Aerospace Industry Slow To Embrace New MEMS Technologies
  • BAE Systems To Sell Airbus Stake, EADS Likely Buyers
  • DaimlerChrysler And Lagardere Cut Stake In EADS

  • Could NASA Get To Pluto Faster? Space Expert Says Yes - By Thinking Nuclear
  • NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter
  • Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission
  • Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement