A recent breakthrough in prosthetics could change the future for amputees.

While previous prosthetic devices allowed amputees to grab objects by responding to twitching muscles, amputees could not feel the objects or control the strength of their grip.  Now, scientists in Europe have developed a new method of surgically attaching electrodes directly to an amputee’s nerves, allowing the amputee to control grip strength and distinguish different shapes and stiffness of objects.

The scientific study, called Lifehand, was conducted by Swiss biomedical engineer Silvestro Micera, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), in cooperation with Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA) in Italy.  The project built upon previous studies of several new methods of providing a better sense of control and touch for prosthetics used by amputees.  The Lifehand project used computer algorithms to take measurements of tension in artificial tendons and convert them into electrical currents.

Micera conducted the test on 36-year old volunteer, Dennis Aabo Sorenson, who lost his left hand in a firework accident 9 years ago.  Sorenson’s median and ulnar nerves were connected directly to a robotic hand, allowing him to control the prosthetic hand by using small muscle movements that were detected by electrical signals in his skin.  Sorenson was able to grasp objects using different strength grips, and was able to discern the shape and stiffness of various objects even while blindfolded and wearing noise-canceling headphones.  Sorenson completed the tests with 67 percent to 93 percent responsiveness.

Sorenson is the first amputee in the world to have sensory information in real-time.  A previous clinical trial was conducted in February 2013 with a prototype, and just one year later, Micera was able to perform the surgery to test the bionic arm on a real patient.

Sorenson reported that for the first time in 9 years, he could feel whether objects were hard or soft, round or square using the prosthetic hand.  Sorenson’s previous prosthetic hand did not allow for sensory touch or differentiating of objects’ hardness.  He described his previous limb as similar to using a brake on a motorbike – when he squeezed the brake, the hand closed, and when he relaxed, the hand opened.  He needed to watch the prosthetic to make sure he did not break objects.  The new prosthetic, in contrast, allowed Sorenson to feel the objects and control his touch.   The test is the first step in creating bionic limbs, although a sensory-enhanced prosthetic limb is still years away from being available for commercial use.

The prosthetic limb was removed from Sorenson’s arm after one month of testing due to safety concerns, but scientists predict that these types of prosthetic limbs could be used safely for many years on amputees in the future.

Sorenson described the test as incredible.  He has an optimistic outlook and was happy to participate in the trial to help himself and other amputees.  Now he faces the challenge of staying positive after feeling sensory touch for a short time and for the first time in 9 years.

When you hear the term ‘cyborg’ or ‘cybernetics’, you probably thought of Cyborg the DC Comic Book superhero or maybe RoboCop or even Darth Vader. The vision of merging humans with robotic technology has been around for decades. Now those visions are becoming a reality.

Prosthetic technology has come a long way in recent years. Amputees now have artificial limbs that can function almost as well as natural limbs. It’s amazing to see someone who’s able to tie a shoelace or open a can using artificial limbs that take their cues from existing muscles or just the thoughts of their user. There is even a technology that allows these artificial limbs to restore a sense of touch.

All of these technologies are allowing people to perform normal everyday tasks that have been difficult or required assistance before.

Now let’s take that a step further. What about not so everyday tasks like making music? Rick Allen the drummer for rock band Def Leppard lost his left arm on December 31, 1984 when he was involved in a car accident. He still plays with the band today, thanks to his determination, skill and a modified drum kit.

Today, it is not about modifying the instrument it’s about modifying the prosthetic.

Gil Weinberg a professor at Georgia Tech has created robots that can create music. That’s right, I said create not play. An iPod can play music, but it needs a robot to actually create music. By analyzing existing melodies these musically inclined robots can create new ones. They are on the point of their development where they can jam with human musicians.

So is it too much of a leap to think that Weinberg could create a prosthetic that could do the same?

Jason Barnes lost his right arm just below the elbow a few years ago. In his effort to keep playing the drums he designed his own prosthetic. Unfortunately, what he created did not provide the necessary flexibility that a normal wrist and fingers would.

Weinberg then designed a cybernetic arm that takes its cues directly from Jason’s arm using electromyography (EMG) muscle sensors in his upper arm. This new arm has the desired sensitivity that allows for the flexibility a drummer needs to control his grip on the stick.

So Jason’s back on the drums and the story could very easily end here, but it does not.

Remember how Weinberg created robots that can actually create music? So instead of just being contented on giving Jason an arm he can use to play drums, he included a second stick on the arm.

That’s right. Jason’s prosthetic has an extra drumstick. This second drumstick has a mind of its own. It actually listens to what Jason is playing and then backs him up by accompanying him on its own. Jason can’t control what the second stick plays but if he wants to fly solo he can pull it away from the drums.

Weinberg’s ultimate goal is to be able to hook the arm directly to Jason’s brain so it can predict exactly when and whatever Jason wants to play. Then execute a pitch perfect beat.

He has made Jason the drummer of the future. With his robot arm he plays better than a drummer with two human arms, playing faster and with a steadier beat. Not quite Steve Austin but pretty close.

Weinberg’s vision for the future – giving humans who have all their limbs the advantage of an embedded third arm to help astronauts or surgeons with some of their more difficult and delicate tasks. Coming from him.. does not seem all together impossible.

The time is actually upon us where robots are part of the work force. You have probably seen it somewhere, huge robotic arms helping to put together a car for example, but it is not like the future that was dreamed up back in the 50s and 60s. There is not a Rosie out there waiting for you to take her home to clean your house, fix your meals etc. It is not also workers on an assembly line side by side with their automated counterparts.

The challenge with these industrial robots is you should not be in the same room with them. Why? Because these huge metal goliaths of steel and circuitry could end up seriously injuring you or worse, just in the course of doing what they were programmed to do. This also means that if and when something goes wrong you have to power everything down so that you can safely go in and fix the problem causing a loss in productivity.

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), most robot-related injuries actually occur during those non-routine conditions. When there is a need for someone to go in and fix an issue or do some reprogramming and while in the robot’s ‘personal space’ something unintended happens.

Now there is a solution to all of these: Immersive Virtual Robotics Environment (IVRE), developed at Johns Hopkins’ Computational and Interactive Robotics Laboratory. With funding from National Science Foundation National Robotics Initiative (NRI), researchers have been able to create a prototype that works with an industrial robot. The goal is to make working with robots more accessible to small businesses, allowing these business owners to easily program and work with the robot saving both time and money.

Simply speaking IVRE puts you in a virtual environment where you can interact with the robot without needing to be anywhere near it. This can be done either in real time via a virtual proxy or as a simulation.

What does this mean to the overall use of robots for industrial task? The benefits are actually twofold. It means that you can interact with a robot while it’s doing its job without being within ‘striking distance’. It also means that you can send a robot into an environment that a human would not necessarily want to go into or one that is not safe for humans while keeping a real-time eye on the situation without putting yourself in harm’s way.

Another feature beyond the virtual reality is augmented reality. The operator is not just interacting with the robot. They are also able to receive information about the robot’s environment and what exactly it is the robot is trying to accomplish.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine someone who does not have a Ph.D. in robotics being able to jump into a virtual world and have a robot perform a task just by showing it what they want it to do, again making this technology more for the masses.

The practical application of this technology hopefully is not too far off. Using Oculus Rift, Virtual Reality software developed by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR, makes the technology commercially accessible.

So maybe a future of working side by side with our robotic coworkers is not too far off the mark.

Imagine that you’re a surgeon getting ready to perform complicated reconstructive surgery on a patient’s eyeball. Now imagine that the patient was over 23,000 miles away from you and their eyeball for some strange reason moves around in circles while you are performing that very complicated surgery. Crazy right? Well, that’s what many people thought about the idea of NASA sending out Robotic Refueling machines into orbit. These RRMs refueled and  repaired new and older satellites in order to advance technology in space.

Phase one discovery of RRMs required engineers to calculate, test, rebundle and retest for accuracy, and longevity of robotic advancements. After a few years of tests, phase one was released. Slowly, engineers worked through the test satellites and needless to say,  they succeeded and now have moved on to phase two!

Now, before we go any further, many of you are probably wondering why is this such a big deal? It is a big deal because once a satellite is launched into space, that is pretty much the end of it. Of course it is monitored, its data is collected, and for a while, it provides everything NASA needs to keep track of the world outside of our own. But what if the satellite incurs damage, runs out of fuel, or malfunctions? It is pretty tough to pin-point the exact location of a satellite as it is orbiting around the earth, no less launching the necessary equipment to repair it.

RRM was designed just for this reason, to send robots out into space to refuel and repair satellites. Going beyond what humans can do physically is definitely a huge leap in the process for the development of future technology. Later on in the year, NASA plans to execute phase two of the RRM. They have already launched RRM hardware to a few satellites and will test it against the operation system of those satellites.

If successful, what could this mean? It could mean that Star Trek is just beginning! With the successful completion of phase two, there could be technology advancements that we only thought possible with special movie effects. Sending out RRMs to keep maintaining satellites decreases metal waste. Instead of leaving an unusable satellite out to the forces of Mother Solar System, it can now be repaired and reused, allowing NASA to focus more on expanding the exploration of the universe beyond where our satellites break down and gain more knowledge of life pass Earth. Now, there will be more opportunities for human-kind and machine to work together.  Also, this improves technology for Communication satellite services like television broadcasts, weather reports, cell phone connections, and much more.  Imagine walking down the street and seeing a television ad broadcasting in midair. How about always having a cell phone signal no matter where you go? So long dropped calls, and ‘no signal’ signs! How about knowing what the weather will be months before you plan for that special summer getaway?

The benefits behind the successful completion of phase two are extremely contributional and can welcome a world of technology that we never thought could be possible. Now imagine again, being the surgeon 23,000 miles away from the patient with the constantly moving eyeball. Does it seem so crazy after all?

From time immemorial (or at least since the Industrial Revolution), humankind has faced the spectra of competition with its great nemesis: our own machines.  In the nineteenth century people told the story of John Henry, who competed valiantly against a new-fanged steam powered hammer.  He ultimately gave his life in the struggle against the machine, but not before he won the steel-driving contest.  The latest human to take up the mantle of John Henry is none other than ping-pong world champion, Timo Boll.  He is pitted against an industrial robot (the Kuka KR Agilus)  made by the German manufacturer Kuka.  Who will get the triumph?  Will mankind face another humiliating defeat on the heels of our recent loss to IBM’s Jeopardy robot, Watson?

Okay, maybe not.  It turns out this is less the latest entry in the struggle against the machines and just a flashy advertisement for Kuka’s robots.  The robot certainly seems capable of holding the ping-pong paddle and is seemingly able to move it and possibly serve, but there is little evidence it can actually play ping-pong.  It is unclear how or even if the robot is able to detect a ball coming towards it, let alone whether it can coordinate such information with its movements.  What is most apparent is the cinematic camera angles used when Boll begins his furious comeback against the initially intimidating robot.

Timo Boll is a German ping-pong player and former World Cup champion.  He is currently ranked eighth by the International Table Tennis Federation, and he was once ranked first in the world.  He won World Cups twice, in 2002 and 2005, and has enough medals from Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships to fill the German equivalent of Fort Knox.  He is exactly the kind of athlete a company would want to test a ping-pong playing robot against.  However, he may also be the kind of athlete a company might want to help advertise their industrial robot.

There are a number of examples of professional robotics researchers and engineers working on advancements that could enable a robot to play ping-pong. A team from the Ishikawa Komuro Lab has demonstrated that a robot can track the movement of a ball with the right cameras.  Additionally, a number of other groups have demonstrated that robots can paddle the ping-pong ball back and forth, both with other robots and with humans attempting to play casually rather than competitively with them.

Perhaps it is harsh to point out the shortcomings of Kuka’s ping-pong playing robot.  After all, it is simply a commercial for their line of industrial robots.  Their KR Agilus robots are undoubtedly more than capable of the industrial tasks they typically perform.  However, Kuka did choose to advertise in this way, and they had to know what people would think of IBM’s Deep Blue and Watson, not to mention Skynet.  So kudos to them for an interesting commercial, but next time, we want to see a real game of ping-pong between people and robots.