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Texas Instruments Incorporated
(TI), a world leader in analog, signal processor and Microcontroller (MCU)
technologies has developed the world's first thought controlled 'Bionic Arm'.
The devise known as the Boston
Digital Arm from Liberating Technologies, Massachusetts, USA is driven using
electrical or myo-electric signals that are sent from the brain allowing
amputees to rotate the wrist and arm, bend at the elbow and grip with the hand.
It is similar to a fully functioning arm.
The arm is dramatically more
flexible and capable than most prosthetic devices, due to the control optimized
performance and integration offered by TI's TMS320C2000 DSP based digital
controllers.
The product will be displayed
at the Texas Instruments Developers Conference India to be held on Nov 30 and
Dec 1, 2006 at Bangalore.
To date, artificial arms have
been mechanically controlled requiring users to physically control artificial
arms by flexing their shoulders to actuate a pulley system. The 'bionic arm' was
the winner in the "Personal Health" category in the "Best of What'sNew Awards"
organized annually by Polpular Science magazine.
"When Liberating Technologies
developed their system, they considered their system, they considered both MCUs
and digital signal controllers," said Andrew Soukup, C2000, marketing manager,
TI. "They selected TIs C2000 controllers because of its superior abilities to
generate pulse width modulated (PWM) signals for the most efficient method of
driving the DC motors that are used in prostheses. One TI digital signal
controller gave Liberating Technologies the ability to drive five motors,
expandable to nine with an add-on module. In contrast, some competing solutions
require two MCUs to drive only three motors."
(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz
dated November 30, 2006)
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