VIDEOS: This $300 Cybernetic Arm, Gets its Smarts from Your Cellphone

Iron Man Isn't the Only One 3D-Printing Artificial Limbs these Days. But, Unlike the Mechanical Hand Delivered by Robert Downey Jr., this Recently Unveiled Prosthetic from Japanese Manufacturer, Exiii Costs just $300 and Leverages your Mobile Device's Computing Power to Act just like the Real Thing. The Ghost in the Shell Future we've between Waiting for, Came Took a Step Closer to Reality. The Handiii Bionic Limb's Exterior is Completely 3D-Printed. This Not only Keeps Each Unit's Initial Production Costs Low (it's already Dropped $50 since we Last Saw it at Maker Faire Tokyo), the Technique also Makes Fabricating Replacement Parts Faster and Easier as well. But, despite its Bargain-Basement Price, the Handiii is Packed with Electronics.


An EMG Sensor Detects Electrical Impulses Emanating from the User's Remaining Limb Stump and Converts those Impulses into Physical Movement through a Series of Servos. What's More, it Connects Wirelessly to your Cellphone or Tablet Using the Mobile Device's CPU to Interpret these Signals and Initiate Movement. Unfortunately, there's Already a Waiting List for these Handy Devices, Partly Due to a Backlog of Existing Orders. Its Creators are also Focusing on Getting these Arms into the Hands of Academic and Industrial Researchers -- Potentially as an Open-Source Platform -- before Beginning Deliveries to the General Public.




Info Sources:

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/23/this-amazingly-limber-bionic-arm-connects-to-your-smartphone

http://exiii.jp/handiii.html

https://youtu.be/vZvCXYsJzFk

https://youtu.be/USxfbC9C7mU