• captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    It also often involves ignoring us when we say what we need or want out of assistive devices. I’ve seen a lot of amputees write up essays on how artificial limbs are often designed for the wants of able people (cool technology, robotics, how similar it looks to a biological limb, etc), rather than the wants of the people wearing it (lightness, comfort, ease of use, etc). Robotics are heavy, and a lot of the robotic controls are done by flexing muscles in patterns which is inconvenient compared to a grasper hook. Meanwhile able people keep thinking that the goal should be robot strength arms like in a comic book, but a simple force body diagram will show that that just moves the point of discomfort and failure away from the prosthetic and onto the place it attaches to the body.

    • fartographer@lemmy.world
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      24 hours ago

      Designers with OEM parts: If you gotta replace your arm, might as well add a badass super-strong mech suit with guided missiles, just like in the movies.

      Person who just wants to eat their soup before it gets cold: …