humane machines

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Publication: The Economic Times Mumbai; Date:2011 Aug 04; Section:Technology; PageNumber: 4

Future of Computing

Humane Machines

With bionics, a blind can see, a deaf can hear and lame can walk. And thats just

the beginning. New-age bionics is moving closer to robotics with accent on sensingand thought control. Read on

RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE SAN FRANCISCO

Jesse Sullivan is better known as the world's first bionic man. In 2001, the Americanelectrician was acscidentally electrocuted. Both his arms had to be amputated at theshoulder. But about two months later, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) gave himwhat was then one of its prototypes: a bionic arm. So Sullivan could hug his grandkids, holda cup of water and drink from it, mow his lawn, and perform several such activities thatmany use their arms for everyday, without even thinking about it.Todd Kuiken, director of RIC's Center for Bionic Medicine, who had pioneered the bionic arm

that Sullivan uses today, explained to ET how it works. We take the remaining nerves in anamputee and transfer these to the muscles that are still present. This allows us to getinformation on what the person 'wants' to do with the robotic arm, says Kuiken. In a neuralsurgery, four of Sullivan's nerves were dissected from his shoulder and transferred to themuscles in his chest. The grafted nerve endings could consequently then transfer impulsesto muscles that are actually present --rather than to the amputated muscles, it wasoriginally meant for -- thereby allowing Sullivan to move his robotic arm attachment just likehis real arm. Bionic is literally a combination of biology and electronics. It implies usingengineering into our bodies, or as pop culture science fiction puts it: the merging of manand machine. Like the 1970s' science fiction TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, bionicstoday is more than just a mechanical limb like the Jaipur Foot. New-age prosthetics arerobotic, controlled by micro-computers, are heavily focussed on sensing and are workingtowards attaining thought-control. So, Sullivan can sense things like pressure, allowing himto perform tasks like fishing. He can hold a paper cup or a glass, just right, neither so hardthat it breaks nor so loose that it crashes to the ground. He can sense like those with theirreal hands do.That's also why Amanda Kitts is not just a bionic woman but a bionic mom. Kitts, who is themother of a nineyear-old boy and runs three day care centers, lost her arm in a roadaccident. The RIC robotic arm's advanced features like pressure sensing have helped herreclaim her life. Today, she can perform delicate tasks at her daycare like blowing bubbles,changing diapers, making cookie dough and of course hugging all of her day care kidssafely, irrespective of their size.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR BIONIC HUMAN

But prosthetics is neither affordable nor are these always covered by insurance. Each bionicsurgery costs between $5,000 and $50,000 plus taxes, costs of trips to centers like RIC, andother costs. Global Industry Analysts (GIA), estimates the global orthopaedic prostheticsmarket will be $19.4 billion by 2015. GIA cites the rising incidence of degenerative jointdiseases like osteoporosis and arthritis, aging global population and the desire formaintaining active lifestyles, as being the primary driving factors.War is just as vital a driver, as US Marines Greg Gadson -- who lost both of his legs in Iraq -- and John Cunningham -- who lost his arm -- will tell you. The computerised PowerKneesGadson wears today, might not bring back his football days, but they certainly let him getout of the wheelchair, take a walk and even climb stairs.At John Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), scientists are buildingbionic limbs to give soldiers their lives back. Last summer, the US Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded JHUAPL a $34.5-million contract to furtherdevelop and test on humans, its revolutionary modular prosthetic limb. At nine pounds, theprosthetic arm weighs as much as a typical human hand, looks like a natural one and mostamazingly, acts like one! This limb uses tiny motors and a brain-controlled interface to offer

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22 degrees of motion -- almost as dexterous as a natural arm -- including amazinglyindependent movement of each finger. As you are reading this, humans at the University ofPittsburgh are testing this limb to see if it really responds to their thoughts and whether itmagically restores the sensation of touch.

They (the users) are thinking about moving their arm. They are not thinking of using aprosthetic. That's why they want it to look -- with artificial skin -- and feel as much like anatural arm as possible, says Michael McLoughlin, who leads the biomedicine branch at

JHUAPL.

BIONIC MIRACLES

We are at the dawn of a bionics revolution, which means that a paralytic attack or a strokeor spinal cord injuries need not end one's life any more. With bionics, the blind can see, thedeaf can hear, the lame can walk and that is just the beginning. Cochlear implants ferryingelectronic signals to Aidan Kenny's auditory nerves allowed the then 10-month-old infant tofinally hear his mother's voice. Heart Mate II, a bionic heart pump, took over Bionic BrideAlly Smith Babineaux's fragile, tired heart. Consequently, it helped her battle a rare heartdisease, live some more and fulfill her dream of marrying her boyfriend.Today there are bionic organs: bionic eyes that can somewhat restore hazy sight, allowing

blind people to safely cross roads. Bionic kidneys, worn like a belt, require no complicatedtransplant surgeries and can save millions of lives. There is even a bionic replacement forthe brain. Dr. Theodore W. Berger, professor of biomedical engineering at the University ofSouthern California (USC) in LA has developed a chip to replace the hippocampus -- thebrain component in charge of our memories.These developments can not only radically improve human life expectancy, they also bringus closer to the dream of a complete sci-fi bionic human like Steve Austin. Think about it: aperson using a bionic heart might also need a bionic limb and bionic kidneys as their ageprogresses, thereby increasing their lifespan hugely. In the future, we might see peoplewith multiple bionic devices. Different bionic devices will perform different body functions,says JHUAPL's McLoughlin. However, there will be overlaps in technology so to get all thesedevices to work together, is going to be a big challenge. But Dr. Graham Creasy, a professorof spinal cord medicine in the department of neurosurgery at Stanford University says,

Bionic muscle movements are mostly information flow in the body. So, all we need aresome technological standards and a network system that somehow get these artificial guys(limbs and organs) to talk to each other, like they do in a real human body. A similarnetworked neuroprosthesis is being developed in Cleveland.Just like some of the devices today are connected to muscles, some could be connected tothe bone. Chips will be implanted in the cortex of our brain to get information out of thebrain about what the person whats to do -- even if s/he is paralysed -- and communicatethis to the computer. So, without moving a muscle, the person can use what is the next bigthing in bionics, thought control, to control things like heating, lighting, flipping TV channels,send an email. And of course, control a fellow bionic body part.

But Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very difficult because human intelligence itself is socomplicated, says Creasy. This is why the fate of bionics will simply be decided by the fate

of various technologies. The mechanical prosthetic limbs of the WWII era happened becausewe had progressed greatly in mechanical engineering at that time. Similarly, giant strides incomputing and robotics are responsible for the bionic stories of today. It is a constantevolution and therefore, the the future of bionics depends on the progress of AI andcomputing, biotech, stem cell research, sensors, robotics, and so on.Two of Creasy's undergraduate students have made their own little bionic device usingaccelerometers -- developed yet inexpensive sensors, found in cars' airbags. Worn with amundane BandAid, the tiny chip detects the patient's movements through radio frequencyand transmits these via the Internet. Live patient files are thus, created, which allow doctorsto collect and understand information about the patient as and when it happens -- warinjuries, accidents and amputation.

For now, artificial information-oriented nerves are fine. But ultimately, we hope to use stem

cells to help repair the nervous system, says Creasy. As with most technologicalbreakthroughs -- think email, telecommunications, computers, robots -- R&D in bionics too,is obviously happening in academia with military purposes. But as Creasy points out, it isonly a matter of time before their commercial aspects shine out. If for instance, a patient




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uses a bionic bladder, it's cheaper for the patient and for health insurance companiesbecause it cuts down on antibiotics, hospital visits, and so on. So, it's worthwhile for theinsurance company and it's good for the manufacturing company that's making the bionicdevices, he says.Second Sight, a bionic eye maker in southern California and Tibion, a robotic knee-maker inSilicon Valley are among the early private players in the bionic space. Most doctors andscientists today, are not pulling folks out of wheelchairs and making them run or play

basketball. Because even those with legs use the wheels of their cars more than their legs.The real goal of bionics, say McLoughlin and Creasy, is to restore something rather simple --human dignity.

Bionics: Why & How

WHAT IS BIONICS?

A combination of biology and electronics, it implies technology transfer between living

organs and mechanical products, trying to develop engineering solutions from biologicalmodels

WHERE ALL IS IT BEING USED?

Bionics is mainly used in medical sciences, to develop artificial limbs. Also in other scienceand engineering fields -- for example, creation of artificial networks

HOW BIG IS THE MARKET?

Global Industry Analysts estimates the global orthopaedic prosthetics market at $19.4billion by 2015. Rising incidence of degenerative joint diseases, an aging population anddesire for active lifestyles are the prime drivers

WHAT ARE THE ADVANCES?

New-age prosthetics are more of robotics, controlled by micro-computers and focused on"sensing" and working towards attaining thought-control. Bionics today is more than amechanical limb and includes implants that mimic the original biological function. The futurewill see a plethora of bionic devices. Just like some of the devices today are connected tomuscles, there could be some connected to the bone.




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