The future is arriving at the speed of …time. Back in the 1970s, Lee Majors received bionic implants that made him The Six Million Dollar Man. But that was fiction.
In the 1980s, we were introduced to a cyborg with living flesh grown over it called The Terminator. That was also fiction.
All that time, roboticists and medical researchers were working on real machines to take over the functions of human organs, such as respirators, mechanical hearts, and dialysis machines that we are familiar with.
But what about other body parts? Here are some that can change someone’s life, or maybe just give us a laugh.
Robot Hand
In the world of videoconferencing, it’s difficult to get close to people. Businessmen often size each other up by shaking hands, a custom that goes back to antiquity. Roboticists from Osaka University have a way to fill in that gap in global meetings.
The Robot Hand is made of silicon and sponge, can be heated to body temperature, and is embedded with pressure sensors. The hand that controls it remotely transmits the grip and amount of pressure to the person he’s shaking hands with.
Robot Lips
Long distance romances suffer the same lack of tactile sensation. Up to the plate steps Kissenger, a robotic device that connects with a faraway lover via Skype. That is, if your lover has another Kissenger. The sensors in the odd-looking device transmit your lip movements to your partner. And vice-versa. The company that makes Kissenger, Lovotics, also makes a couple of other devices to transmit your passion.
Robot Butt
At first glance, and you may blush, the robot butt seems like some kind of art project. But it appears to be an exercise in robotic research. A human-shaped pair of buttocks named Shiri responds to different kinds of touch with one of three reactions: tension, twitch, and protrusion. Sensors trigger the reaction of airbags implanted in the posterior.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider