DailyDirt: Curious, Yummy Lobsters

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've pointed out some unusual lobster links before, but there seems to be no end to the discovery of huge lobsters and crazy stories about these invertebrates. Here are just a few more links on these so-called cockroaches of the sea.

• A presumably very old lobster was caught off the coast of California, weighing 12 pounds. That's not actually a very big lobster, but big enough to befriend and get a name (Albert). [url]
• It's a myth that lobsters are immortal, but they do live a long time and don't show many visible signs of age (other than size). It's actually difficult to estimate the age of a lobster because they molt their entire exoskeleton, leaving few traces of their previous life cycles. [url]
• A 27 pound lobster was caught in 2013 and named Rocky, and it was the largest ever caught (and recorded) in Maine. The claws of this crustacean were scary huge and likely strong enough to do some serious damage. [url]

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Filed Under: crustaceans, exoskeleton, food, immortality, invertebrates, lobsters

DailyDirt: It Turns Out People Want Keyboards... Until They Don't

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've seen plenty of different input devices, but it's pretty hard to displace the traditional keyboard and mouse combination. Touchscreens have their usefulness (but perhaps not on a 20" 4K display), and maybe someday gesture recognition will be more common outside of gaming. Ultimately, we're likely to see more and more options for how to best interact with various kinds of software, and that's a good thing. Here are just a few more examples of cool digital interfaces.

• Chinese company Dexta has developed an "exoglove" (aka Dexmo) that's an exoskeleton glove for detecting hand movements and providing some haptic feedback. This input device had a Kickstarter project, but it's been cancelled without much explanation. Pre-ordering appears to be available still (for $175 per hand), but buyer beware if you think this exoglove will be a plug-and-play accessory. [url]
• Flow is a (yet another) mouse alternative that includes gesture recognition and some haptics and a kind of dialing mechanism. It's a neat programmable tool that aims to be a controller for almost any computing device (phone, tablet or desktop/laptop), but it might be a bit too customizable for people who don't use Photoshop or CAD software on a regular basis. [url]
• In 2003, Steve Jobs commented on the Newton, saying "It turns out people want keyboards" -- but that obviously wasn't the end of input innovation. Virtual reality interfaces may be getting better and better, but it could still take a while for the "killer UI" that doesn't make you want to vomit in 3D. [url]

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Filed Under: controller, crowdfunding, exoglove, exoskeleton, flow, gesture recognition, haptics, hmi, input devices, keyboard, mouse, newton, steve jobs, ui
Companies: dexta, indiegogo, kickstarter

DailyDirt: Supersuits Are The Next Wearable Tech?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

All kinds of technophiles are looking forward to new and better-looking smartwatches and wearable devices that don't make a person look like a member of the Borg. Everyone has seen gadgets getting smaller and more fashionable over time, so it's not just foolish optimism to hope that wearable tech will be amazing and cool in a few short years. Some cool wearable stuff is being developed right now, but it doesn't look too fashionable yet. Here are some examples.

• Employees of Daewoo who are building ships in South Korea have access to robotic exoskeletons that can help them lift 70 lbs of stuff effortlessly. These prototype robotic suits are going to be able to lift over 200 lbs in the near future, and they also sound like an awesome toy for a billionaire superhero.... [url]
• Wearable robots are already helping out the disabled, but there are still a lot of bugs to work out before these powered exoskeletons are ready for full-time use. Walking around instead of rolling in a wheelchair is a nice feature, but robotic legs need to handle falls better and have longer lasting batteries. [url]
• Wouldn't it be cool to wear a mask that could give you superhuman abilities -- like superhearing or supervision? These face prosthetics look bulky and scary, but it might not be too long before something like Google Glass is offering super-abilities instead of dorky augmented reality. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: exoskeleton, gadgets, prosthetics, robotic suits, smartwatch, superhearing, supersenses, superstrength, supervision, wearables

DailyDirt: Six Million Dollar Man People

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Science fiction about bionics grossly underestimated how much advanced prosthetics actually cost to develop. The Six Million Dollar Man was off by at least a couple orders of magnitude. But bionic limbs have been getting a lot better over the years, and more Paralympic athletes are becoming famous for their achievements all the time. Here are just a few inspiring links about people and technology making awesome advances in bionics.

• Aimee Mullins has turned her prosthetic legs into a possibly desirable advantage -- prosthetics can make people taller and potentially super-abled instead of disabled. Mullins is a a champion sprinter in the Paralympics, and she has over a dozen different prosthetic legs -- and is having fun with the improving technologies of prosthetic limbs. [url]
• This American Life covered how people can totally miss seeing a one-armed woman. Mary Archbold is a professional dancer who has become incredibly good at concealing her missing appendage. [url]
• An exoskeleton called eLegs was developed with some Pentagon funding and could sell to the general public for about $50,000. Bionics are getting cheaper, but they're not quite ready to make anyone into Iron Man just yet. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: aimee mullins, bionics, exoskeleton, mary archbold, paralympics, prosthetics

DailyDirt: We Can Rebuild Him. We Have The Technology.

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The six million dollar man was grossly underpriced. But someday the technology to to augment human limbs and senses could come down in costs. There are plenty of engineers working on robotic prosthetics. Here are just a few examples.

• The Mercedes GP Petronas F1 team is sponsoring a bionic limb for a 14-yr old kid... and you can, too. This sounds a bit more praiseworthy than the million dollar home page. [url]
• Robotic exoskeletons are on the way (in a decade or so). The Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2 is the second generation of the XOS 1 robo-suit which came out in 2008. But late adopters should probably wait for the third iteration to really work out the kinks. [url]
• A powered prosthetic leg that has software-controlled knee and ankle joints weighs just 9 pounds -- a bit less than most natural lower limbs. This artificial leg also has an "anti-stumble" feature and can go about 8 miles on a single charge. [url]
• To discover more interesting tech-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: bionic, exoskeleton, limb, prosthetics
Companies: mercedes, raytheon

DailyDirt: These Robotic Exoskeletons Were Made For Walking...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Cyborgs are on the way whether we're ready for them or not. The Segway was supposed to revolutionize transportation, but it hasn't quite caught on. But there are a few other personal mobility vehicles that could help folks get around more easily. Here are just a few.

• A recent grad from UC Berkeley walked across a stage to get his diploma using a robot exoskeleton. The stripped-down exoskeleton cost about $15,000 -- down from $90,000+ versions that are on the market already. [url]
• Eythor Bender demonstrates his robot exoskeleton work for a TedTalk. Military use for these exoskeletons would allow soldiers to carry around a lot more gear... [url]
• The Walk Again Project aims to create brain-machine interfaces (BMI) in the form of neuroprosthetic devices that can control exoskeletal robots for mobility assistance to persons with severe paralysis. The brain implant technology sounds pretty ambitious -- and could be useful for a lot of other applications, too. [url]
• Robot Suit HAL is another robot exoskeleton designed to interpret the wearer's intentions for movement and assist with those movements. Hopefully, it will also allow users named Dave to open the pod bay doors. [url]
• To discover more interesting tech-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: bmi, exoskeleton, hmi, neuroprosthetic, robot
Companies: segway