Saw what he took: a bionic prosthetic hand with a camera

Prosthesis with force control thoughts will not soon become available to a wider audience, but what if the artificial limb will be smart enough to perform the desired action without special teams? Scientists of Newcastle University have developed a robotic hand that sees what is in front of her, and uses the type of seizure depending on the shape and dimensions of the subject.

How it works

The hand recognizes objects by means of the most typical web camera Logitech that the researchers had fastened to the back of the hand. The software analyzes the image and determines how best to hold a particular object. Compared to traditional systems that read brain signals in the remaining muscles of an amputated limb, the prosthesis has a higher rate of reaction.

The robotic arm is pre-training using neural networks, and even if a certain subject had not caught her eye, the system can find a suitable grip. The project is part of a broader study, in which experts hope to create a prosthesis that can transmit back to the brain information about temperature and pressure (the rigidity of the object).

And then what?

The main advantage of the new technology — it works with the existing prostheses. Sometimes even the most realistic prostheses have too slow reaction and not felt like a real limb. The camera system allows you to make control more intuitive, but when people become cyborgs, such a compromise won’t be needed.

Source: Newcastle University

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