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09/13/09(Sun)10:01 No.25216827  >>25216603
Actually,
working neurally-linked protheses are available right now, with a
degree of control similar to that of muscle-trigger protheses. They're
sold only by, I think, Otto Bock, and those ones are basically concept
limbs, to prove it is possible. The next generation of products is the
one that will sell, and they will sell at enormous prices. They will
not be stronger or more dextrous than a normal limb, as they will not
increase strenght to beyond human norms until they have the contro
lsoftware perfect, which will take seven years in low uptake and two
and a half with maximum uptake and some luck. Then, though,
strength-enhancers will likely be concept-only, because it will ot be
legal in nearly any country to remove limbs explicitly to have the
replaced, and the limb-loss market that can afford protheses that are
likely to cost $38000-$90000 is very small indeed. Progress will be
slow until cultural norms change, in at least thirty and as many as a
hundred and ten years, to make this alteration acceptble, during which
time development will more or less exclusively be conducted by the Otto
Bock corporation, the only major privately-owned prosthetics
corporation with the income to do so, who will likely do it as the man
slated to be next in charge once Hans Georg Nader retires is very much
in favour of pure technological advancement regardless of
profitability, the very reason eh left a more minstream
shareholder-owned firm.
I have the planning documents in my car. |
