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This is an unexpected original application. Do you think people in a wheelchair would like to upgrade to a robot?
by lowdose 6y ago
This is an unexpected original application. Do you think people in a wheelchair would like to upgrade to a robot?
- k__ 6y agoDon't know. But maybe it would 1. allow them to stand 2. allow them to use stairs
- jon_richards 6y agoThat’s starting to sound like an exoskeleton
- ufmace 6y agoIf we're going in that direction, might as well get rid of those useless bio legs and replace them with robot legs
- k__ 6y agoI'd assume some people aren't fond of surgery.
- tgflynn 6y agoI think a bigger problem is that there isn't really a good safe way to directly interface a human limb to a mechanical one. Conventional prostheses distribute weight over tissues that didn't evolve to carry those loads and are therefore much less comfortable than a natural leg.
- ufmace 6y agoMmm yeah, I suppose you'd have to figure out a way to connect up to bones for structural support and to connect actuators to. But hey as long as we're dreaming big, why not?
- k__ 6y agoI'm not dreaming big. I just asked if we could strap people to these things to let them climb stairs, lol
- k__ 6y agoSure, but I think if you can't use your legs, some robot skills are required by your exoskeleton to not sway around or fall down a stair.
- stubish 6y agoMaybe. Maybe not. But the real question is whether people in 10 years time would prefer a walking mobility scooter or a wheeled mobility scooter. When the Star Wars generation hits this point en-mass in 20-30 years, I predict there will be a huge market for personal AT-AT walkers.