Thanks for coming by. I'm doing lots of behind the scenes ownership things now, Things will be going again full force by the middle of summer. In the meanwhile look around.
I have posted about all kinds of cool chairs here on Rollinpix, and I have found another great one with the ever present, almost obligatory Youtube video to show you just how wicked this rig is. The chair itself uses a combination of mountain bike parts, knobbie tires with optional snow chains and a shiftable gear change system with ratchet levers that are removable when the goings not so difficult. One of the Rengades coolest accessories are ski's that can be used instead of front casters
Orlando Regional Medical Center at 1414 Kuhl Avenue • Orlando, Florida is doing an amazing evaluation of a Novel Interface for Individuals with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Using an Assistive Robotic Manipulator (MANUS) for Improved Independent Function
They are currently seeking candidates for a clinical trial evaluation of exploring the utility of a robotic arm for improved independent function in traumatically injured spinal cord patients. The study is evaluating a variety of interfaces for a robotic arm system and how they impact a spinal cord injured person’s ability to perform tasks, and the perceived effort associated with those tasks.
The Candidates that we are seeking fit the following profile:
> Available and willing to participate in therapy, nursing, and physician evaluations to evaluate candidacy for the program >Physician referred > Traumatically Spinal Cord Injured > 21 or older > C-3 to C-6 level of impairment > Active individuals able to participate in study > Greater than 90 days post injury > Cognitively able to perform tasks > Able to attend training as needed, 2 days a week, 4 weeks for 8 total sessions, plus evaluation and discharge evaluations with the therapist, nurse and physician >Free use of upper extremities, i.e. functional ROM adequate enough to use the Assistive Robotic Manipulator (Manus) > Free of communicable diseases>\ > Adequate vision (with or without corrective lenses) > Can use the chosen upper extremity in a sustained fashion for the duration of each “treatment session” > Must have communication skills adequate enough to provide the needed feedback. >Sitting tolerance duration for the purposes of this project, typically 45 minute to 1 hour training sessions plus transportation time.
If you are interested in learning more about this study, please contact our program coordinator, Rod Olson at Rod.Olson@orhs.org or 407-841-8911.
Quite a long while back I posted on the military grade juggernaut that is the Tank Chair. Well now it has a newer, sportier, MUCH faster masterpiece from the folks that made the original monster. If Tank Chair is a beast, this new chair, appropriately called "The Speedster" is the Vector of wheelchairs. It even looks fast, and it's built from one solid piece of Aluminum , sitting on 21 inch Michelin's and custom billet wheels I know it has to be a blast to drive.
Just like it's sibling it's powered by four ultima 12v batteries and the specs on the chair are just unbelievable.
One-Piece Aluminum Chassis Michelin 190-90R21 Tires 21" Colorado Custom Billet Wheels - Chrome Billet Hub adapters Fox 3-way Adjustable Shocks 4 - Optima Deep Cycle 12v Batteries Battery access sliding tray Motor Specs 24V 1hp Continuous 127RPM Variable Speed 18:1 Gear Ratio Weight ?? 34" Wide x 38" Long
I'm still working with the State of Florida's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation on the preparation and execution of my business plan. I haven't been posting at all lately, it's lame on my part and I'm sorry. I got my business and merchant accounts done, the paperwork that government org's want from you is endless. Next appt. is July 14th so I'll get things right here.
I do have some things to post in sports news: >An expedition to Mount Everest base camp... 17,700 feet, in their chairs.
>In Canada - four guys age 43 to 65 are handcycling 87 days from B.C. to Newfoundland - 10,000 km's across the country to raise funds for stem cell research. Video. Better yet... DONATE
I know I'm not posting sports stuff at all regularly. Yesterday was module 2 day with Voc. Rehab and the SBA counsellors, everything on that end is progressing very smoothly and I am putting all of my "behind the scenes" business issues together properly.
Today was just a few phone calls and a trip to open a business checking account. I am not going to make it to China, that's for sure.. but I'm putting together a schedule of events that I may cover. I'm thinking that I may be better served by going to Meet and Greets with the editors and publishers of some of the other disabled sports publications, introducing myself formally and offering my services. I know a lot of them from email but face to face is always better
(CNN) -- Scientists have trained a group of monkeys to feed themselves marshmallows using a robot arm controlled by sensors implanted in their brains, a feat that could one day help paralyzed people operate prosthetic limbs on their own, according to a study out Thursday.Lead researcher Andrew Schwartz of the University of Pittsburgh said he believes it won't be long before the technology is tested in humans, although he predicts it will be longer before the devices are used in actual patients with disabilities.
"I think we'll be doing this on an experimental basis in two years," said Schwartz, professor of neurobiology at the university's School of Medicine.
The results were appeared in the journal Nature's online edition on Thursday. The arm is controlled by a network of tiny electrodes called a brain-machine interface, implanted into the motor cortex of the monkeys' brains -- the region that controls movement.
It picks up the signals of brain cells as they generate commands to move and converts those into directional signals for the robotic arm, which the monkeys eventually used as a surrogate for their own.
The researchers report that one monkey achieved a success rate of 78 percent over 13 days of trials, while a second monkey completed its tasks with the arm in 61 percent of tests conducted over two days. They said the animals also were able to direct the arm around obstacles to ensure safe delivery of the food, which included small items such as grapes and marshmallows.
The ability of the monkeys to interact with the robotic arm and objects in the work space embodies a "multi-degree-of-freedom" that "paves the way towards the development of dexterous prosthetic devices that could ultimately achieve arm and hand function at a near natural level," according to the Nature article.
"I'm most excited by the chance to study many neurons at the same time, so we can see how they work together as a network," Schwartz told CNN. The research provides the opportunity to consider interactions among neurons, he added. "Understanding the brain at a more fundamental level, I think, will result in all sorts of chances to treat a wide range of brain diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's", according to the professor.
The researchers initially trained two monkeys to use a joystick to manipulate the arm. Then, the monkeys' arms were restrained by placing them in tubes, and the robotic arm was switched over to brain control so the monkeys could translate their wishes into commands.
In a video, a macaque monkey uses the robotic arm to seize pieces of marshmallow off a thin rod positioned at various locations. The arm is designed to move realistically, with a range of shoulder movements -- an elbow that moves in just one direction and a simple claw grip to simulate a hand.
Brain interfaces are not particularly new -- human versions have been around for several years. But this is the first time a brain-machine interface has been used to fulfill a useful function, such as allowing monkeys to feed themselves.
"Up until now, almost all demonstrations (of the technology) have been in a virtual world," Schwartz said. Successfully developing these brain implants for humans will require more resilient, long-lasting electrodes.
