prosthetics

[ydoaPs]

I was looking online for some cheap robotics to play with, and I came across several kits to make robotic arms. For some reason I then remembered that a while back someone made a PS2 controller that uses brainwaves. It only seems logical to me to combine the technologies and creates brain controlled prosthetic limbs. Has this been done?

 

edit: Apparently, this company is working on a way to give some sensory perception back to amputees, but I've not yet seen anything about brain controlled prosthetics.

[ydoaPs]

It seems DARPA is working on something along the lines of what I'm looking for, but it doesn't give too much information.

 

Here is something similar to what I was talking about with the video game, but it isn't the same one. Wikipedia has an article on brain-computer interfaces.

[ydoaPs]

Brain-Computer interfaces in the area of artificial vision are advanced enough to permit a blind user to drive a vehicle(although it was done slowly in a private parking lot). It isn't anywhere near normal vision, but it could give hope to millions of blind people. If the brain-computer interface used advances enough, it would seem to me that artificial vision could one day become superior to biological vision.

[Royston]

I couldn't find anything up to date, but here's an article on the first success in this area (your OP.)

 

http://www.mindfully.org/Technology/2005/Chip-Reads-Mind31mar05.htm

 

I swear I remember a news article last year, where a replacement prosthetic arm was controlled by the user using thought alone... beyond the rather limited movement in the case above, I'll have another browse.

[Saryctos]

I recall seeing something about "brain fingers" http://www.brainfingers.com/ a while back on some TV show.

 

and I know that there are things out there that can use remaining nerves to control prosthetics. http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/18134/

[Donut.Hole]

Already been done by the HAL series exoskeleton prosthetic. It snses electrical impulses on the skin from the wearer's brain. For more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_5

[ydoaPs]

Donut, you're thinking wheelchair where I'm thinking bionic leg.

[Donut.Hole]

Did you look at the link? It's more of an exoskeleton. Sure it's not a quite a prosthetic, but its much more than a mere wheelchair. I was just thinking that HAL technology could be coverted into a prosthetic.

[ydoaPs]

Advanced HAL technology:

 

Advanced Prosthetics:

 

 

See the difference?

[Donut.Hole]

Yeah, I get what you mean (Only problem is that HAL is not Samus).

But you do agree that the technology could be converted to a prosthetic?

[antimatter]

Donut's right, while the HAL is more like a suit, it still encompasses the general idea of prosthetics.