UCL designer Dani Clode with her ‘Third Thumb’ device.
Image: Dani Clode
Posted on 05/19/2021 9:24:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A group of 36 healthy participants were trained on the device (professional musicians were excluded) and used it to perform a variety of tasks, such as building a tower of blocks, manipulating multiple balls simultaneously, or stirring a coffee cup with a spoon. They even managed to perform some of these tasks while blindfolded or distracted with math problems.
“The Third Thumb is a flexible 3D-printed thumb extension for your hand, controlled by your feet,” said Clode, a designer at UCL. “It is worn on the hand, next to your little finger, and dynamically moves like a thumb by using two motors controlled by two pressure sensors retrofitted into your shoes, under your toes, and communicating with the Thumb piece wirelessly.”
The use of feet to control this device might seem weird, but Clode compared it to driving a car, using a sewing machine, or playing the piano—all activities that make use of foot pedals.
The participants had access to the device for five days, and their brains were fMRI scanned both before and after the experiment. They learned quickly, using the device to pick up wine glasses, sort objects, and go about their daily routines. The participants were encouraged to take the Thumb home each day, allowing them to wear the device between two and six hours each day. A control group was also created, in which participants used a static third thumb with no robotic capability.
UCL designer Dani Clode with her ‘Third Thumb’ device.
Image: Dani Clode
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Old buddy of mine used to have a cat with one very pronounced extra claw on each front paw. He named the cat “Hitch Hike”
I had one of those when I was little.
Im trying to figure out if Ive seen the same thing around here but Im not sure what youre saying. Ive seen cats with 5 regular fingers instead of 4 and the thumb is bifurcated into two separate thumbs at the mid joint. Same thing or is this a different configuration?
Sounds like what I have seen. They almost look normal at a glance, except unusually big paws on a cat.
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