OttoBock Helix Hip

found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJRM6Xb0OJc&feature=related

found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=o5J4P_6WWHw

Training exercises for the Helix Hip from OttoBock

Prof Kevin Warick - Neural Interfaces

Todd Kuiken - Bionics

Dean Kamen - Luke Arm

Lucy McRae & Ted.com

More interesting videos at Ted

Lucy McRae's Website

Aras Karimi

All images by Aras Karimi

Prosthetics and the Uncanny

Below is an excerpt form a text I found

"Understanding of “the new body”

Despite promising technology and the potential 

growth of the market, we are still stuck with the 

general imagery of prosthetics; uncanny and 

unnatural. This may hinder possible exploration of 

the patientʼs lifestyle, but mostly, it will not mitigate 

the patientʼs fear of living as a handicapped 

person. Why is this all happening?

1) A super human, robots, or in between

What we have seen in the media is the Six Six 

Million Dollar Man accomplishing the mission 

regardless his glamorous “handicaps”, however 

this does not convey the image of RoboCop or 

Terminator, which most of the actual prosthetic 

legs look like. Unfortunately, this gap between the 

fictional fantasy and reality is not getting smaller 

with current technology. 

Donald E. Hall argues that “the sight alone of the 

whole form of the human body gives the subject 

an imaginary mastery over his body... which 

entirely structures his fantasy life.”4 What you see 

is what you are, yet the problem here is, it is not 

who you are. As technologies mimic human 

performance with more accuracy, there are 

growing chances of negative reactions5 from the 

people who look at the artificial limbs, because of 

not only the prosthetics being made out of carbon 

fiber tubes, mechanical parts, or a skin toned 

silicone cover, but also the conflict between two

ideas: the prosthetics are to replace the missing 

form and the function”, yet we do not believe that 

humanness can be replaced. Until this “social 

negotiation”6 is settled, viewers will struggle with 

intense emotions trying not to compromise the 

selfhood over artificial body. Production of the 

human-looking artificial limb could be a solution, 

but the technology has not reached that level of 

perfection yet."

The full text can be found here

Bespoke prosthetics

Found at: http://blog.ponoko.com/2011/11/07/challenging-the-uncanny-by-3d-printing-prosthetics/

Design Cultures Blog

"The market for false limbs is perhaps one that doesn't attract designers quite as much as it should. Fake arms and legs suffer from something called the"uncanny valley" in that the more realistic they become, the more uncomfortable they are for people to look at. It's bad enough being short of one arm or leg, but to have people engaged in conversation with you and then suddenly realise you've got a fake limb... that's what the uncanny valley is all about.

This area of design seems to be the preserve of engineers and medics. Maybe it's time for, say, jewellery designers to get in on the act?

Anyway Norwegian industrial design student Hans Alexander Huseklepp has come up with a new take which seems to avoid the valley by being up-front about its "falseness".

And what's more, it's got a digital watch built in to the wrist."

Found at:http://design-cultures.blogspot.com/2009/02/prosthetics-avoid-uncanny-valley.html

welcome to space

My interest turns to space race propaganda

Femskin

I've just stumbled upon these interesting extensions of self; Femskin suits. These are prosthetic enhancements to be worn over ones own skin like a body suit.

found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj6jxIWIDro&feature=related

images from: http://www.rosesturn.net/femskin.html

also see http://www.femskin.com/home.htm

1968

a brief overview of the French Student Riots of 1968

Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUJZgkhSCq8

talks

Donna Haraway, talking about Cyborgs, Dogs and Companion Species

found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yxHIKmMI70&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SPC017E496EEE63132

Terry Eagleton, the Death of Criticism

Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-20dZxUAfu0&feature=related

Judith Butler talks Feminism

Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Q50nQUGiI3s

a zed and two noughts

alittle oddity that I watched yesterday, comprised of rotting fruit, snails, amputees, siamese twins and zoo animals. A Zed and Two Noughts is directed by Peter Greenaway

Lukasz Wierzbowski

Lukasz Wierzbowski's beautiful portraits. 

His prints are available from here. He has a zine published through pogo books

An interview by Tourist Magazine can be found here

photographs by Lukasz Wierzbowski

Murray Ballard

Murray Ballard's study on cryogenics, The Prospect of Immortality.

An interview with Murray Ballard by Centre Point Collective can be found here  

 from The Prospect of Immortality by Murray Ballard

how to make a prosthetic leg

found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H_aUEyjywM

found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzLD7mR_WWk&feature=relmfu

Glen Erler

An interview with Glen Erler can be found here at too much chocolate

all images Glen Erler

surreal

performance art over the film blood of a poet directed by Jean Cocteau



Video streaming by Ustream

trailers

select cuts from the stack of films I've seen recently

get low

Hanna

200 motels

el topo