Daily Archives: September 4, 2021

The research group at Cleveland Clinic's Laboratory for Bionic Integration looks at the inside of the touch robot system. Each small black box provides individual finger sensation to the user through a neural-machine interface.

Dreaming of a future where Luke Skywalker's replacement hand is more than a sci-fi fantasy, scientists have designed a "bionic arm" that enlists help from tiny robots to re-create the vital sensations forfeited when one loses an upper limb. The bots do that by safely vibrating muscles at the amputation site.

By 2028, the global prosthetics and orthotics market is expected to reach over $8 billion, according to a 2021 report from Grand View Research, but artificial limbs have hit a mechanical roadblock. They can't really account for many intuitive sensations that help us in our everyday lives, such as the way it feels to open and close our hands.

A study subject tests the team's bionic arm.

"We're still using technology that kind of reached its zenith around World War II," explained Paul Marasco, an associate professor in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute's Department of Biomedical Engineering and lead author of a study on the new bionic arm published Wednesdayin the journal Science Robotics.

Enter the bionic arm, a hybrid of metal and realistic skin tones.

Though there are several other teams working on bionic arms, such as the groups behind popular cyberpunk video game Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid, Marasco touts a few advantages of his version.

The sci-fi-looking device translates information directly to and from the brain via powerful robots about half the size of a standard matchbox. While turning thoughts into action, the arm can simultaneously contact the brain to deliver sensations corresponding to that intended action.

Not only does the artificial limb appear to be the first bionic arm to simultaneously test several metrics of its benefits over typical prosthetics, those metrics indicate that it replicates the mechanics of natural arms precisely enough to restore unconscious reflexes in amputees who use it.

We rely on such reflexes every day. For instance, when we pick up a cup of coffee, our hand finds the mug on the table, grips the handle with the right level of firmness and lets go at the perfect time to prevent spills. We can achieve this task thoughtlessly even on the groggiest of mornings because nerves in our arm muscles automatically respond to our choices -- in this case, "I must drink that coffee."

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Traditional prosthetic limbs can't re-create such seamless movement because they run in manual drive -- amputees have to keep their eyes on them at all times and worry about things a nondisabled person usually chalks up to intuition.

After testing the device on two study subjects and using unprecedented analytic tools, the team was excited to discover that the subjects reverted back to reflexive behaviors from before their amputation, including intuitive grip and natural eye movements -- they could focus their sight away from the limb.

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The metallic arm requires three components: realignment of nerve endings, mini-robots that work as a sort of control center and the bionic arm itself.

First, a surgical procedure takes an amputee's unused nerve endings within the healthy part of the arm -- those that used to be dedicated to removed parts, such as fingertips -- and "plugs" them into the site of amputation.

"Your brain is like, 'My fingers are connected to a muscle,' [it just doesn't] know that it's a muscle on your shoulder versus a muscle down in your forearm," Marasco explained.

The bionic arm is placed onto the amputation site and little robots are fit into the socket. Those robots press on relevant areas of the site, stimulating the nerve endings that are now attached, when the patient engages the arm.

"You can buzz their muscles and generate these really kind of interesting things -- these perceptual illusions of complex hand movement," Marasco said.

The researchers modified off-the-shelf prosthetic limbs rather than starting from scratch, hoping to fast-track the devices to rehabilitation clinics and make them more cost-effective than traditional prosthetics. People who use those less advanced artificial limbs often overuse the side of their body without an amputation, leading to back or shoulder problems that ultimately require costly medical care.

"These advanced systems are more expensive to fit to start with, but if you use them, they don't injure you, because you don't have to account for them," Marasco said. "This is going to be something that's going to cost less money in the future."

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Futuristic bionic arm helps amputees feel the sensation of touch and movement - CNET

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TL;DR: Take your note-taking to the next level with the Scanmarker Air Digital Highlighter, on sale for 20% off. As of Sept. 1, pick one up for only $110.

School's back in session, which means note-taking is back on the agenda. But with everything else in your life going digital, scribbling notes longhand with a pad of paper and pencil, or trying to keep up your WPM without missing a beat just seems outdated. Instead, what if you could make the note-taking process much faster? Thats where the Scanmarker Air Digital Highlighter comes into play.

The Scanmarker Air bridges the divide between old school and new school note-taking by wirelessly transferring printed text into an app or web browser 30 times faster than if you were to type it up yourself. You simply highlight words the same way you would normally with a highlighter, but in seconds the Scanmarker will read it and transport it to Microsoft Word, Excel, Gmail, Facebook, and more. It can also translate your text into over 50 different languages and read it back to you as it scans.

Whether youre studying for a test, putting together a report, or extracting quotes for an essay, the Scanmarker Air can make your life easier. Like most of your other gadgets and gizmos, it actually helps you work smarter, not harder. With the ability to scan 3,000 characters per minute or a full line of text within a second, your study habits this semester are about to improve substantially. Theres even a dictionary feature that lets you look up words on the spot.

Basically the same size as a regular highlighter, itll be easy to tote around the Scanmarker from class to class, the library, a local coffee shop, etc. It works seamlessly (and wirelessly) with Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Plus, itll never run out of ink.

While you're gathering school supplies for the semester, be sure to snag the Scanmarker Air Digital Highlighter and bring your note-taking into the 21st century. It's usually $139, but you can save 20% for a limited time and get it for just $110.

Credit: Scanmarker

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Take notes the futuristic way with this digital highlighter on sale - Mashable

Last year saw the release of the Polaroid Now, an instant camera reminiscent of the Polaroid cameras from the 1970s with some modern upgrades. The Polaroid Now camera was apparently a hit because today were seeing Polaroid announce and release a follow-up to it. The new camera dubbed the Polaroid Now+ offers the same instant camera functionality as its predecessor, but this time, photographers have more options when it comes to making their pictures unique.

Thats at least partially thanks to connectivity with the Polaroid app. Yes, while the camera is still an analog one that uses instant film, the Now+ can connect to the Polaroid app to offer more shooting modes. Users will find several shooting modes in the app, including light painting, double exposure, and manual mode. The app also offers aperture priority and tripod modes, which Polaroid says will help photographers snap photos with depth of field or long exposure times.

If you want the full analog experience, Polaroid has included five snap-on lens filters that allow you to give your photos new effects without having to bust out the app. The five lenses include orange, blue, and yellow filters along with special red vignette and starburst filters.

Polaroid assures that core features included in the original Now are also present in the Now+. Some of the returning features Polaroid calls out specifically include autofocus, dynamic flash, and a self-timer for taking old-school selfies. As alluded to by the cameras tripod mode, the Polaroid Now+ also comes with a tripod mount.

All in all, the Polaroid Now+ sounds like a sizable upgrade for those who want more options when shooting their instant pictures. That said, it is worth pointing out that at $149.99, the Now+ costs a fair bit more than its $99 predecessor. The camera is available today in blue-gray, black, and white color schemes from Polaroids website.

Read more here:
Polaroid Now+ instant camera bridges the gap between classic and futuristic - SlashGear

Measuring just 9.4 ft (2,894 mm) in length, 5.4 ft (1,655 mm) in width, 5.2 ft (1,595 mm) in height, and with a 6.6-ft (2,020 mm) wheelbase, the new Baojun is presented as a trendy four-seater aiming to appeal to younger customers.

The electric minicar is based on the Baojun E300 Plus, sharing that same bizarre design that isnt necessarily eye-catching, although SAIC-GM-Wulings insists that the car has a futuristic-looking, two-tone avant-garde split body styling to it.

Setting aside the odd suspended cab design, the EV is available in six exterior colors meant to please a wide range of tastes: Rouge, Sable, Emerald, Azure, Cream, and Mint. Regardless of the color you opt for, combinations of three body tones are used with contrasting accents on the roof, grille, mirrors, trim, and wheels.

But even though the KiWi EV may not make the best first impression based on its looks alone, at least it proves to be reliable enough once you get behind the wheel. It also packs in some nice, hi-tech features under the hood. The new Baojun minicar also boasts of delivering comfortable rides, with its McPherson independent suspension and double wishbone independent suspension design.

The rear axle-mounted motor of the KiWi EV generates 40kW of maximum power and 150 Nm of maximum torque. It has a top speed of 62 mph (100 kph), but then again, the KiWi was designed to be rather trendy and useful, not a speedster.

Range-wise, the car offers up to 190 miles (305 km) on a charge. Thanks to its DC fast charging feature, you can fully recharge the battery in one hour.

Baojuns latest telematics comes with AI (artificial intelligence) voice interaction, voice-controlled WeChat function, and real-time navigation.

There are two trim levels available with the Baojun KiWi EV. The Designer variant is priced at approximately $10,800 (69,800 CNY), while the Artist trim goes for around $12,200 (78,800 CNY).

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New Baojun KiWi EV Hits the Chinese Market, Wants to Be Trendy and Futuristic - autoevolution