Bionic Woman: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality

• robotics
• health
• research
• Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality

Bionic Limbs

Implants have enhanced Sommers's baseline strength: She shoves people across entire rooms with one arm, leap from building to building and run alongside a speeding car. Prosthetics, while far along, still have to catch up to the functionality and feeling of normal limbs before they can venture into the realm of enhancing strength and agility.

By 2009, DARPA hopes to have a prosthetic that’s on par with flesh and blood. In its first iteration, scientists at Johns Hopkins University got a man who lost both of his hands to feel the sensation of gripping the object. The team has plans for a second prototype to provide even more sensory feedback, such as sensing the position of limbs and temperature. Users will eventually have surface electrodes replaced with tiny sensors implanted or injected into the body.



TECH WATCH: Proto 2 Robotic Arm Almost Ready to Roll

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