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INNOVATION FOR INDEPENDENCE
ISSUE 66 April/May 2009 £6.95
‘Robot’ could revolutionise prosthetics By Dominic Musgrave PROSTHETIC limbs could be revolutionised as scientists at a Scottish university have taken the first steps in developing a robot that has the ability to evolve in the same way as animals. Researchers at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen are using artificial intelligence to produce robots which are much more complex than are presently available. In particular, it offers the potential to make machines which can interact with their environment and perform useful tasks in difficult or dangerous circumstances – or even around the home. Chris Macleod, who is leading the research at RGU's School of Engineering, told Assistive Technologies that the work could be used to change the way prosthetic limbs are made in the future. He said: “The system we are using allows the robot to evolve in a similar way to how animals do. We begin with a simple system similar to an onion, and over time can build it up to become something a lot more complex. Using this idea we hope to be able to grow a system for a prosthetic limb that can take an arm,
for example, and control the individual joints such as the elbow and the wrist. As well as developing the robot's body and environment from simple to complex, the researchers are also developing its brain using an “artificial neural network”. Using this theory, Chris says they hope to train human brains to use their prosthetic limbs more effectively. He added: “Using an artificial model of the brain we hope to train the robot to recognise patterns, and this is something we feel could be useful for amputees. When putting this on a person with an artificial limb we could train their brain to identify nerve patterns that would enable them to control their joints and get the most from their prosthetic limb.” Chris says using this approach is different to any of the techniques that have been used to create any other prosthetic limbs currently available. He added: “The way prosthetic limbs are made at the moment has been around for a long time. Using our method means that we can learn from experiences to create something that would be completely different.”
A design student has come up with a ‘sexy’ range of prosthetic limbs which he says can turn a handicap into a fashion statement. Hans Alexander Huseklepp, from Norway, claims his designs called Immaculate could revolutionise the artificial limb market. He said: “Prosthetics have become highly
advanced from a technical point of view, but still follow the aesthetic path of imitating normal limbs. I want to show that giving prosthetics their own visual identity can not only contribute to prosthetic users feeling better about themselves, but also add functionality beyond that of a normal arm.”