If you’re a fan of sci-fi or cyberpunk fiction, you’ve likely imagined the future as one full of robot arms and cool high-tech augmentations. As technology has become more and more awesome, this comes ever closer to being a reality. One company that is working hard to help people with their robotics is YouBionic. They’ve created a 3D-printable robot arm that has human-like actuation and movement! The fingers grip and close in realistic, practical ways. Could this be the future of prosthetics?
YouBionic Technology
The ambitious robotics company has promised the arm will be 3D-printable. That makes it much, much more accessible than most comparable devices. The arm functions in most ways just like a human hand. It grips, it turns, and it can even rotate on the wrist. As of now, it’s controllable via a remote. It also has a mirroring function, where it can mirror the actions of the wearer’s hand. This could be useful for individuals with one hand, as they could have the prosthetic mirror the action of their hand while trying to carry or manipulate objects.
The functionality YouBionic is most interested in bringing to bear, however, is electric signal control. That would allow for a user without one or both arms to control the prosthetics with signals from their brain. That would make the prosthetic essentially an extension of the user’s body and could revolutionize prosthetics.
Availability
While technology like this has been in the works for some time at various companies, this is the first with accessibility in mind. Similar technologies have been prohibitively expensive, and not mass-produced for consumers. Individuals in need of such prosthetics have largely been unable to access them. YouBionic’s prosthetic, however, will be 3D-printable, and thus widely available. This is a huge deal for those who could benefit from a better quality of life with such prosthetics!
With movement this precise, the promise of controlling it with one’s mind is amazing. For individuals who might not have access to such fine motor controls, this is a game changer. Activities like typing, making food and driving that people take for granted could open up for such people. If that’s not an awesome application of technology, I don’t know what is!
Photo Credit: YouTube
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