Freaky 'Third Thumb' Prosthesis Gives Your Hands a Helping Hand

www.nbcnews.com...
Kind of a novelty now, but I would wager it will be main stream in no time.


This video looks freaky now, but in 5 years wearable "helpers" will be common. Imagine a mechanic lifting an engine with just an exo-suit, or soldiers wearing the HULC.




It is a new world, and it this tech will fold nicely into spinal damage and allow people to be more mobile-if the can afford it.

An amazing idea and incredibly useful!

I could imagine that speeding up cook time in the kitchen for more complicated recipes.

Seems like everything is "digital" these days.

a reply to: antoinemarionette

Can imagine this maybe helpful in farming and maybe meat cutting too.

Until it's neurally controlled, it's useless as a tool- and I'm guessing it doesn't have much more strength than it takes to hold an egg.

Fun idea, but the technology to make it useful just isn't there

a reply to: seasonal

2nd Samuel 21:20 recounts that the Rephaim had six fingers. Perhaps they were augmented?

a reply to: seasonal

How will this effect Ebert and Roeper movie ratings?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Just another job that is being slowly eliminated by robots, Hollywood no longer needs human thumbs.

Sad day indeed.

a reply to: seasonal

I imagine if Fonzi was still relevant and not hocking reverse mortgages he would want it.

I've seen an "alien" hand with two thumbs and three fingers.
It seemed to be a very good design.

Seems utterly useless beyond its ability to 'wow'

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
Seems utterly useless beyond its ability to 'wow'

The thumb itself is 3D printed. Then there are sensors in the boots and software to process movement and drive the micro-actuators to move the thumb. The point the designer was making was to bring down the cost of manufacturing prosthetics (around $10K for a custom hand)

www.3dprintingpin.com...

"The 3D printed hands project has two main advantages, the first one is the cost, while the manufactured prosthetic hand costs around $10 000, the 3D printed version can easily be printed with a cost around $50 using low price printing materials. The second advantage is that the new technology is reachable and customizable. Any one is able to create customized hand for specific patient’s case by simple reaching an expert 3D designer with 3D printed in hand."

Ahh come on you nay sayers. Just imagine, you double your chances of hitch hiking with 2 thumbs.

Silly name though, third thumb.. it's a second thumb. What if you wear one on each hand, it's name becomes meaningless and confusing, and everyone will become all thumbs...

a reply to: seasonal
I knew somebody who could use the thumb. His thumbs were amputated in a factory accident. Some moron activated a machine he was working on and it crushed them.

Awesome!

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: seasonal
I knew somebody who could use the thumb. His thumbs were amputated in a factory accident. Some moron activated a machine he was working on and it crushed them.

Lock out tag out... That guy shouldn't have had his hands in any machine that could be turned on.
I've had some close calls, and they are on my own dumb self.

This seems silly to me. In 90 percent of the actions the models were performing the extra thumb was simply doing stuff the thumb they were refusing to use already can do. Its just sitting there idely. We already have a thumb. Getting an extra one and not using the one you already have to do the same thing is silly. Im sure there are some few things (like not alot) that this extra thumb would be better suited for the task to do. But it seems our own thumbs already do whatever this extra thumb can do and do it better.

Now for demonstrating that one can make a cheap functionable prosthetic its great. Proves that the medical industry is nothing but a bumch of price gauging rip off nearly scam artist industry.

Put on on both hands and you could play 12-fingered piano music.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Agreed. The only thing in the video that the extra thumb was useful for was playing the guitar. Other than that it was just replacing the real thumb or the pinkie.

a reply to: seasonal

I want one!!!!!
Next it will be extra arms and legs! Like the god Kali.
Here's some extra thumbs for this.