Robotic Third Arm Can Smash Through Walls
When we've written about adding useful robotic bits to people in the past, whether it's some extra fingers or an additional arm or two, the functionality has generally been limited to slow moving, lightweight tasks. Holding or carrying things. Stabilizing objects or the user. That sort of thing. But that's not what we want. What we want are wearable robotic arms that turn us into a superhero, like Marvel Comics' Doc Ock, who I'm just going to go ahead and assume is a good guy because those robotic arms strapped to his torso look awesome.
At ICRA this week, researchers from Université de Sherbrooke in Canada are finally giving us what we want, in the form of a waist-mounted remote controlled hydraulic arm that can help you with all kinds of tasks while also being able, should you feel the need, to smash through walls.
Supernumerary 3DOF Robotic Arm (2m50s video)
Multifunctional 3-DOF Wearable Supernumerary Robotic Arm Based on Magnetorheological Clutches
(Score: 3, Offtopic) by Bot on Friday June 05 2020, @10:55AM (5 children)
- chief
- wat
- we idone testing, all OK. that thing can instakill two equipped infantry guys with one strike
- we cannot advertise that, robocalypse, our plans, remember?
- how about smashing through a car engine
- no, many car lovers around
- smashing down a house
- no, people will link that to us when we go smashing their houses down, find something leftists hate, once you get leftists onboard you are set
- leftists hate riches whites and barriers
- barrier it is make it smash wall
- k
and they all lived happily ever after
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Bot on Friday June 05 2020, @11:01AM
>leftist hate riches
except theirs ofc
Account abandoned.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @06:55PM (2 children)
Human arm for punching Nazis in the face, robot arm for punching Nazis in the dick.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @07:32PM
VR helmet for seeing Nazis everywhere, robot fleshlight for creaming your pants while punching the air.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @08:30PM
Robot knee for police and NFL.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday June 06 2020, @12:59PM
Why is this modded off-topic? It gets straight to the point that the potential of this is quite scary, not just for picking fruit like in the publicity photos.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @10:56AM (7 children)
Working in a wood shop, having a 3rd hand could be a big help. However, when using machinery, having a second person around for safety backup (and to call 911 if needed) is still a good idea--the 3rd arm might lull someone into working solo when there really should be backup.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday June 05 2020, @11:02AM (5 children)
Maybe you could benefit from an exosuit that simply does not allow for your fingers to be chopped off. Or the woodworking equivalent of the Da Vinci surgical robot. You manipulate a multi-handed monstrosity remotely.
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(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @11:25AM (1 child)
> exosuit ...
Then I'd be relying on software to keep me safe. Who wrote that software??? If it was true "aerospace" quality, OK. Otherwise, no thanks.
I'll stick to the machine safety strategy I learned from a master craftsman--very simple: When a noisy, vibrating machine is turned on it upsets normal safety routines and habits, as he put it, "You become another person." To counteract this potentially unsafe condition, go into forced slow motion. Only move (hands/arms/etc) after thinking about it and planning the movement, no habitual moves or quick motions.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday June 05 2020, @02:21PM
Exosuit/exoskeleton doesn't have to be run by software. It could all be mechanical.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday June 05 2020, @01:09PM (2 children)
That requires environmental knowledge that is well beyond the state of the art. I'm even dubious about this 3rd arm because of the control problem. How do you keep it from smashing through a wall when you wanted to open the door?
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday June 05 2020, @05:53PM (1 child)
You punch through the wall and pretend it was deliberate.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @05:47PM
If you punch through the door you don't need to open it anymore.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday June 06 2020, @01:02PM
I wouldn't want to be the backup near a guy using one of these. Might get a clout round the head enough to smash through a wall.
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Friday June 05 2020, @11:09AM
Pretty cool. It has been shown that one can control more/new appendices in virtual reality using neural feedback from EEG readings. This seems the logical next step: to become a real cyborg you put on this tinfoil hat and control that arm yourself. Just put it in low gear first (and always remember: you can tune an arm but you cannot tune a dead person).
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Kitsune008 on Friday June 05 2020, @01:19PM (1 child)
While it may be an interesting idea, having to have a operator control the arm remotely is a No Go in my book.
What I observed in the video was a person wearing a device that was constantly shifting her center of balance, and her having to compensate awkwardly.
When the person wearing the arm is the one controlling said arm, then they will have something.
As it stands, you need two people to have two legs and three arms to use this. If you get rid of the remote controlled gismo, you have two whole people to do the work, instead of one person with three arms.
(Score: 2) by Fnord666 on Friday June 05 2020, @05:02PM
That was the same issue I saw. The demonstration of painting while on a ladder seemed quite dangerous. Anything with enough power to punch through a wall could easily lever that person off of the ladder with a single wrong move. She looked like she was holding on to the ladder for dear life!
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 05 2020, @02:22PM (4 children)
But can it also be kind? Can it pat me on the back when I've done a good job, or caress my hair when I've had a tough day, or hold my hand when I'm lonely?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @06:15PM (3 children)
It can do... so much more... hnnngh.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @08:56PM
Hopefully embedded Windows won't hang on the "yank" command.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @11:22PM
Yes!
It looks quite useful in dispatching Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and other nuisances that magically seem to appear in front of you.
Just equip it with cattle prod.
I'm gonna duck now and get outta here!
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday June 06 2020, @01:07PM
It will need to be dressed in something a lot more attractive before that idea takes off.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 05 2020, @06:57PM
The Mote in God's Eye .... best sci fi book ever.