Gearfuse

Legs just aren’t what they used to be. Human limbs used to be the driving force behind America’s booming industry, once ushering in a new age of wealth. These days, machines are slowly taking our place on the assembly line. From a businessman’s stand point, it just makes sense. Why pay four employees for a job that a single robot could do for free?

The Chariot wearable transporter, created for both amputees and lazy mothers alike, allows humans to integrate the speed of an engine and the force of robotic steel onto thier fragile human bodies, without the need for any life-altering surgery. Traveling at a max. speed of 12-miles per hour, or about double to triple the speed of your usual gait, the Chariot might soon be in mass production in tandem with the auto-industry. Check out the rad height boost you get too, after the jumpenstein.

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Get your children started on the path to geekdom with this Robot Toothbrush Holder. It’s only $8 and can hold two brushes with its powerful claws. It’ll also hold your disposable razor, but I wouldn’t trust a ‘borg with a blade any day. Anyone who’s seen Blade Runner will tell you that.

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The Luke Arm is the world’s first real, fully-functional prosthetic arm. The video shows Dean Kamen and the progress his team has made with the prosthesis as they work with the arm in either a remote-controlled or thought-controlled method. The Luke Arm’s silicone-rubber inner-side straps work with the arm and distribute pressure at certain areas of the body during use. Made up of magnesium, titanium and a slew of other metals, the Luke arm weighs a mere 8.9-pounds and is said to be able to crush any man in arm wrestling. I’m serious, check the video out.

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Scientists have rigged up two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains. Through a new process, they’ve learned to control a mechanical arm with only their thoughts. Singularity of mammal and machine is nothing new, though this specific study could pave the way for more human-based experiments.

“This study really pulls together all the pieces from earlier work and provides a clear demonstration of what’s possible,” said Dr. William Heetderks.

This test of brain-machine interface technology demonstrates that monkeys which can grab food with a robotic arm once again shows us that putting sensors in human brains could prove beneficial in many areas of the future.

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If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside the head of Lando Calrissian’s cyborg-liaison, Lobot, engineers at Caltech have created a robotic device intended to be used as a brain to computer interface. By positioning electrodes in neural tissue, we’ll be able to turn organic beings into mindless robot drones.

This technology is at a primitive stage in time, but with further research, scientists hope to eventually give up on humanity. Expect no mercy during the great robot wars.

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Much of the newest level of Big Brother-type surveillance seems overly paranoid for my taste, and this just takes it to a whole new level of suspicion. Scientists at Georgia Tech have been dabbling with an idea which is the best thing since Bird’s Ass View. The prospect of producing cyborg SpyBot moth’s, which are implanted with surveillance equipment in their larval stages of development.

The problems start when the moth makes its way out of its larval webbing. How do you control where the moth goes? Scientists are working on an answer for that exact question, with the best idea centering around some bizarre brain control which would take control of the insect’s flying route. — Andrew Dobrow

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Let’s be realistic. If you’re sitting in front of a computer screen all day, chances are that your insides are slowly becoming a gelatinous blob of what use to be considered muscle. The Muscle Suit promises to increase the average human strength by using a cyborg exoskeleton.

Soon, we too will have a chance to compete in strongest man competitions. Those buff guys got nothing on us and our good old geek ingenuity. — Andrew Dobrow

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The Daiwa House Industry Co. has created a full bodied cyborg that looks like something you might see at your local movie theater. The exoskeleton was designed to assist those who have difficulties moving around on their own. Those people will know be able to survive nuclear explosions. We joke.

When the user wants to move a limb, the suit reads your brainwaves and conveys the info to the corresponding part of the suit which will than move. Scarily enough, the cyborg suit goes on sale and lease next year. Well, it was nice ruling the world. Us humans had a good run. — Andrew Dobrow

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