Anda di halaman 1dari 4

Humane Machines

Page 1 of 4

Publication: The Economic Times Mumbai; Date:2011 Aug 04; Section:Technology; Page Number: 4

Future of Computing

Humane Machines
With bionics, a blind can see, a deaf can hear and lame can walk. And thats just the beginning. New-age bionics is moving closer to robotics with accent on sensing and thought control. Read on
RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE SAN FRANCISCO

Jesse Sullivan is better known as the world's first bionic man. In 2001, the American electrician was acscidentally electrocuted. Both his arms had to be amputated at the shoulder. But about two months later, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) gave him what was then one of its prototypes: a bionic arm. So Sullivan could hug his grandkids, hold a cup of water and drink from it, mow his lawn, and perform several such activities that many use their arms for everyday, without even thinking about it. Todd Kuiken, director of RIC's Center for Bionic Medicine, who had pioneered the bionic arm that Sullivan uses today, explained to ET how it works. We take the remaining nerves in an amputee and transfer these to the muscles that are still present. This allows us to get information on what the person 'wants' to do with the robotic arm, says Kuiken. In a neural surgery, four of Sullivan's nerves were dissected from his shoulder and transferred to the muscles in his chest. The grafted nerve endings could consequently then transfer impulses to muscles that are actually present --rather than to the amputated muscles, it was originally meant for -- thereby allowing Sullivan to move his robotic arm attachment just like his real arm. Bionic is literally a combination of biology and electronics. It implies using engineering into our bodies, or as pop culture science fiction puts it: the merging of man and machine. Like the 1970s' science fiction TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, bionics today is more than just a mechanical limb like the Jaipur Foot. New-age prosthetics are robotic, controlled by micro-computers, are heavily focussed on sensing and are working towards attaining thought-control. So, Sullivan can sense things like pressure, allowing him to perform tasks like fishing. He can hold a paper cup or a glass, just right, neither so hard that it breaks nor so loose that it crashes to the ground. He can sense like those with their real hands do. That's also why Amanda Kitts is not just a bionic woman but a bionic mom. Kitts, who is the mother of a nineyear-old boy and runs three day care centers, lost her arm in a road accident. The RIC robotic arm's advanced features like pressure sensing have helped her reclaim her life. Today, she can perform delicate tasks at her daycare like blowing bubbles, changing diapers, making cookie dough and of course hugging all of her day care kids safely, irrespective of their size.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR BIONIC HUMAN


But prosthetics is neither affordable nor are these always covered by insurance. Each bionic surgery costs between $5,000 and $50,000 plus taxes, costs of trips to centers like RIC, and other costs. Global Industry Analysts (GIA), estimates the global orthopaedic prosthetics market will be $19.4 billion by 2015. GIA cites the rising incidence of degenerative joint diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis, aging global population and the desire for maintaining active lifestyles, as being the primary driving factors. War is just as vital a driver, as US Marines Greg Gadson -- who lost both of his legs in Iraq - and John Cunningham -- who lost his arm -- will tell you. The computerised PowerKnees Gadson wears today, might not bring back his football days, but they certainly let him get out of the wheelchair, take a walk and even climb stairs. At John Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), scientists are building bionic limbs to give soldiers their lives back. Last summer, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded JHUAPL a $34.5-million contract to further develop and test on humans, its revolutionary modular prosthetic limb. At nine pounds, the prosthetic arm weighs as much as a typical human hand, looks like a natural one and most amazingly, acts like one! This limb uses tiny motors and a brain-controlled interface to offer

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/APA26300/PrintArt.asp?SkinFolder=pastissues2

1/25/2012

Humane Machines

Page 2 of 4

22 degrees of motion -- almost as dexterous as a natural arm -- including amazingly independent movement of each finger. As you are reading this, humans at the University of Pittsburgh are testing this limb to see if it really responds to their thoughts and whether it magically restores the sensation of touch. They (the users) are thinking about moving their arm. They are not thinking of using a prosthetic. That's why they want it to look -- with artificial skin -- and feel as much like a natural arm as possible, says Michael McLoughlin, who leads the biomedicine branch at JHUAPL.

BIONIC MIRACLES
We are at the dawn of a bionics revolution, which means that a paralytic attack or a stroke or spinal cord injuries need not end one's life any more. With bionics, the blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame can walk and that is just the beginning. Cochlear implants ferrying electronic signals to Aidan Kenny's auditory nerves allowed the then 10-month-old infant to finally hear his mother's voice. Heart Mate II, a bionic heart pump, took over Bionic Bride Ally Smith Babineaux's fragile, tired heart. Consequently, it helped her battle a rare heart disease, live some more and fulfill her dream of marrying her boyfriend. Today there are bionic organs: bionic eyes that can somewhat restore hazy sight, allowing blind people to safely cross roads. Bionic kidneys, worn like a belt, require no complicated transplant surgeries and can save millions of lives. There is even a bionic replacement for the brain. Dr. Theodore W. Berger, professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) in LA has developed a chip to replace the hippocampus -- the brain component in charge of our memories. These developments can not only radically improve human life expectancy, they also bring us closer to the dream of a complete sci-fi bionic human like Steve Austin. Think about it: a person using a bionic heart might also need a bionic limb and bionic kidneys as their age progresses, thereby increasing their lifespan hugely. In the future, we might see people with multiple bionic devices. Different bionic devices will perform different body functions, says JHUAPL's McLoughlin. However, there will be overlaps in technology so to get all these devices to work together, is going to be a big challenge. But Dr. Graham Creasy, a professor of spinal cord medicine in the department of neurosurgery at Stanford University says, Bionic muscle movements are mostly information flow in the body. So, all we need are some technological standards and a network system that somehow get these artificial guys (limbs and organs) to talk to each other, like they do in a real human body. A similar networked neuroprosthesis is being developed in Cleveland. Just like some of the devices today are connected to muscles, some could be connected to the bone. Chips will be implanted in the cortex of our brain to get information out of the brain about what the person whats to do -- even if s/he is paralysed -- and communicate this to the computer. So, without moving a muscle, the person can use what is the next big thing in bionics, thought control, to control things like heating, lighting, flipping TV channels, send an email. And of course, control a fellow bionic body part. But Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very difficult because human intelligence itself is so complicated, says Creasy. This is why the fate of bionics will simply be decided by the fate of various technologies. The mechanical prosthetic limbs of the WWII era happened because we had progressed greatly in mechanical engineering at that time. Similarly, giant strides in computing and robotics are responsible for the bionic stories of today. It is a constant evolution and therefore, the the future of bionics depends on the progress of AI and computing, biotech, stem cell research, sensors, robotics, and so on. Two of Creasy's undergraduate students have made their own little bionic device using accelerometers -- developed yet inexpensive sensors, found in cars' airbags. Worn with a mundane BandAid, the tiny chip detects the patient's movements through radio frequency and transmits these via the Internet. Live patient files are thus, created, which allow doctors to collect and understand information about the patient as and when it happens -- war injuries, accidents and amputation. For now, artificial information-oriented nerves are fine. But ultimately, we hope to use stem cells to help repair the nervous system, says Creasy. As with most technological breakthroughs -- think email, telecommunications, computers, robots -- R&D in bionics too, is obviously happening in academia with military purposes. But as Creasy points out, it is only a matter of time before their commercial aspects shine out. If for instance, a patient

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/APA26300/PrintArt.asp?SkinFolder=pastissues2

1/25/2012

Humane Machines

Page 3 of 4

uses a bionic bladder, it's cheaper for the patient and for health insurance companies because it cuts down on antibiotics, hospital visits, and so on. So, it's worthwhile for the insurance company and it's good for the manufacturing company that's making the bionic devices, he says. Second Sight, a bionic eye maker in southern California and Tibion, a robotic knee-maker in Silicon Valley are among the early private players in the bionic space. Most doctors and scientists today, are not pulling folks out of wheelchairs and making them run or play basketball. Because even those with legs use the wheels of their cars more than their legs. The real goal of bionics, say McLoughlin and Creasy, is to restore something rather simple -human dignity.

Bionics: Why & How

WHAT IS BIONICS?
A combination of biology and electronics, it implies technology transfer between living organs and mechanical products, trying to develop engineering solutions from biological models

WHERE ALL IS IT BEING USED?


Bionics is mainly used in medical sciences, to develop artificial limbs. Also in other science and engineering fields -- for example, creation of artificial networks

HOW BIG IS THE MARKET?


Global Industry Analysts estimates the global orthopaedic prosthetics market at $19.4 billion by 2015. Rising incidence of degenerative joint diseases, an aging population and desire for active lifestyles are the prime drivers

WHAT ARE THE ADVANCES?


New-age prosthetics are more of robotics, controlled by micro-computers and focused on "sensing" and working towards attaining thought-control. Bionics today is more than a mechanical limb and includes implants that mimic the original biological function. The future will see a plethora of bionic devices. Just like some of the devices today are connected to muscles, there could be some connected to the bone.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/APA26300/PrintArt.asp?SkinFolder=pastissues2

1/25/2012

Humane Machines

Page 4 of 4

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/APA26300/PrintArt.asp?SkinFolder=pastissues2

1/25/2012

Anda mungkin juga menyukai