It seems like just yesterday (well, okay, 81 years ago) that Buck Rogers first blasted off with a jetpack, but even that sci-fi adventurer would be amazed at how far we’ve integrated the roles of human and machine. So strap on your rocket belts and imagine how outdated these ideas will seem one day.
When this software developer from Helsinki lost a finger in a motorcycle accident, he didn’t waste much time worrying about how to pick up all those tiny USB sticks?he simply built one in to his prosthetic finger.
This bionic arm doesn’t give its user superhuman strength, but it comes remarkably close to duplicating the functions of a real human arm. The amazing thing is that the user simply has to think about performing an action, and her nerve endings trigger the arm to react.
These tiny cameras, ?no bigger than a pea,? are linked to an artificial retina, allowing visually impaired patients to see. Amazing.
Meet Jules, the ?the first humanoid robot who can realistically mimic a real person’s expressions merely by watching their face.? The possibilities for this technology are intriguing?and somehow just a little creepy.
Yet another remarkably human-looking robot, and the close-ups of his facial expressions are awe inspiring. Still, if Jules rates a six for being oddly unsettling, Geminoid definitely gets a 10.
Tokyo Fashion Week kicked off with the latest model?not clothing, a robot. Fembot, actually, although one of her creators admitted that it will be a few more years before the android model can ?move elegantly like the real models that are here today.?
