Journal Entry #8
Kamen, Dean. "Dean Kamen Previews a New Prosthetic Arm | Video on TED.com." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. TED, Aug. 2007. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/dean_kamen_previews_a_new_prosthetic_arm.html.
This video is about a new technology that scientists are developing for the men and women that come back from war missing an arm. A man had come to Dean Kaman explaining that these brave soldiers risked their lives for our country and lost their arm while doing so and that they deserve better than the original stick and a hook that used to be available for them. He told Kamen that this new prosthetic arm needs to allow the person to feel and pick up things and do everything that a normal arm could. Dean and his team have now made one and he shows a little video demonstrating how it works. His arm can pick up a water bottle so the person can drink from it. It can pick up a pen and paper and turn it around. Kamen said that his prosthetic arm has 14 of the 21 movements that an arm can perform because you don't need your last two fingers. His arm also has a silicon 'skin' that's painted so that it's a mirror image of your other arm. It also has a sensor in it that can sense temperature and pressure. The cool thing about it is that if you pick up something kinda heavy, the arm attaches itself to you more so that it can hold up against the pressure.
1. Is there a possibility to make something like this for a leg?
2. How does the arm move where the person wants it to move?
3. What is the maximum weight it can withstand?
4. Have people actually used this yet and are they pleased with it?
5. What goes into to developing a prosthetic arm that has sensors?