How It Works Book of Amazing Technology

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Bionic humans

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Dialysis

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3D-printed organs

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Bionic humans

Bionics experts attempt to build injury. The synthetic muscles are made from a human eye. The data that they capture is then
mechanical and electronic devices to polymer gel, which expands and contracts in processed and transformed into electrical
mimic biological functions. With the response to electrical currents, much like impulses, which are delivered to the auditory
exception of the brain, the human body can human muscle. The tendons are made from or optic nerve, respectively, and then on to the
essentially be broken down and rebuilt using a fine synthetic fibres designed to imitate the brain. Bionic touch sensors are also in
combination of mechanical, electronic and behaviour of connective tissue. development. For example, the University of
biological technologies. California, Berkeley, is developing ‘eSkin’ – a
A bionic limb strips human biology back to The mechanical nature of limbs makes them network of pressure sensors in a plastic web.
its constituent parts. Tough materials like excellent candidates for building robotic This could even allow people to sense touch
aluminium and carbon fibre replace the counterparts, and the same applies to the through their bionic limbs.
skeleton, motors and hydraulics move the limb, human heart. The two ventricles, which supply
while springs replace the tendons that store blood to the body and lungs, are replaced with Replacing entire organs is one of the ongoing
and release elastic energy. A computer controls hydraulically powered chambers. However, it’s goals of bionic research. However, breaking
motion and wires relay electrical signals, as not just the mechanical components of the each organ down and re-creating all of its
nerves would have done in a real limb. Users human body that can be replaced; as time goes specialised biological functions is challenging.
are now even able to control these limbs with on, even parts of the complex sensory system
their minds (see ‘The power of thought’). can be re-created with technology. If only part of an organ is damaged, it’s
Technology is also in development to replace simpler to replace the loss of function using
individual muscles and tendons following Cochlear implants, for example, use a bionics. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-
microphone to replace the ear, while retinal producing beta cells of the pancreas are
implants use a video camera to stand in for the destroyed by the immune system. Some

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STRANGE What is the number one Answer:
BUT TRUE
Diabetes is the leading cause of lower
LIMB LOSS CULPRIT
cause of limb amputation? limb amputation. High blood sugar
damages the nerves and blood vessels
WorldMags.netA Car accident B Diabetes C Lightning in the feet, which can lead to ulcers
and eventually gangrene.

DID YOU KNOW? An artificial heart implant operation costs about £80,000 ($125,000) and £11,500 ($18,000) a year to maintain

The power of Motor cortex Rerouted nerves
thought explained
This region of the brain is The nerves that used
Cutting-edge bionic limbs currently in development responsible for planning and to feed the missing
allow the user to control movements with their co-ordinating movement. limb are rewired into
own thoughts. Technically called ‘targeted muscle existing muscles.
reinnervation’ it’s a groundbreaking surgical
technique that rewires the nerves in an amputated Sensors
limb. The remaining nerves that would have fed the
missing arm and hand are rerouted into existing Sensors pick up tiny
muscles. When the user thinks about moving their electrical signals when the
fingers, the muscles contract, and these user thinks about moving.
contractions generate tiny electrical signals that
can be picked up by the prosthetic. Motors

The prosthetic is then programmed to respond A series of motors
to these muscle movements, taking each replace the biological
combination of signals and translating it into function of muscles.
mechanical movement of the arm. Some of the
most sophisticated have 100 sensors, 26 movable Joints
joints and 17 motors, all co-ordinated by a
computer built into the prosthetic hand. Joints are designed to
match the natural range
A scientist controls of human motion.
a wheelchair
using a brain- Learn more
machine interface
If this bionics feature piques
Computer your interest, why not visit
London’s FutureFest (14-15
A computer in the hand of the March 2015) where you
prosthetic arm co-ordinates can witness compelling
all the other components. talks, cutting-edge shows,
technology displays and
patients are now fitted with an artificial The right materials interactive performances,
pancreas: a computer worn externally, which hearing from such speakers
monitors blood sugar and administers the One of the most important factors in biomedical as the controversial Edward
correct dose of insulin as required. engineering is biocompatibility – the interaction of Snowden. For more info visit:
different materials with biological tissues. futurefest.org.
Entire organ replacements are much more
complicated, and scientists are turning back to Implanted materials are often chosen because Artificial heart
biology to manufacture artificial organs. By they are ‘biologically inert’ and as a result they valves are often
combining 3D printing with stem cell research, don’t provoke an immune response. These can made from metal,
we are now able to print cells layer by layer and include titanium, silicone and plastics like PTFE. such as titanium or
build up tissues. In the future, this could lead Artificial heart valves are often coated in a layer of stainless steel
to customised organ transplants made from mesh-like fabric made from the same plastic used
the recipient’s very own cells. for soft drink bottles – Dacron. In a biological
context, the plastic mesh serves as an inert
Advances in bionics mean that already limbs scaffold, allowing the tissue to grow over the valve,
are emerging that exceed human capabilities securing it in place. Some scaffolds used in
for weight bearing and speed. That said, the implants are even biodegradable, providing
sheer complexity of our internal organs and temporary support to the growing tissue, before
how they interact means that it is not yet harmlessly dissolving into the body.
possible to fully replace man with machine.
But maybe it’s just a matter of time… Bionic limbs are worn externally, so their
materials are chosen for strength and flexibility as
opposed to biocompatibility. Aluminium, carbon
fibre and titanium are all used as structural
components, providing huge mechanical strength.

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Bionic humans

Building a Retinal Interface Rods and
bionic human implant cones
Nerve cells respond
Advances in technology make it possible to build Argus II, Second Sight to electrical signals Light detection by
limbs with components that mimic the function of A camera mounted on a pair made by the implant. the eye’s own cells
the skeleton, musculature, tendons and nerves of of glasses captures real-time is not necessary.
the human body. Meanwhile, the sensory system images and transmits them Wireless
can be replicated with microphones, cameras, wirelessly to an implant on the technology Ganglion cells
pressure sensors and electrodes. Even that most retina. The implant contains
vital organ, the heart, can be replaced with a 60 electrodes and, depending Video signals are The long axons of
hydraulic pump. Some of the newest technologies on the image, will generate sent wirelessly these cells make
are so advanced that the components actually different patterns of electrical to the implant. up the optic nerve.
outperform their biological counterparts. signals, which are then sent
to the remaining healthy Implant
retinal cells. These cells are
activated by the signals, and The implant
carry the visual information to transmits signals
the brain for processing. via 60 electrodes.

Cochlear Cochlea Receiver/ Microphone
implant stimulator and processor
Many thousands of
Nucleus 6, Cochlear nerve cells project Signals from the The equipment for
A cochlear implant has from the cochlea to
four main components. A the auditory nerve. external transmitter detecting and
microphone, worn near
the ear, detects audio and Electrodes are received through processing the sound
transmits a signal to a
sound processor. The Between 4 and 22 the skin by this device. is worn over the ear.
processor then arranges electrodes interact
the signal and sends it to with the nerves of Electrical wires
a built-in transmitter. The the cochlea.
transmitter passes the The signals are turned
signal to an implanted into a series of electrical
receiver/stimulator, which impulses sent via wires.
transforms it into
electrical stimuli for the
electrodes. Finally these
signals are relayed to
the auditory nerve.

Aorta Pulmonary Artificial
artery heart
The right-hand
artificial ventricle The left-hand artificial Total Artificial Heart,
sends oxygenated ventricle sends blood SynCardia Systems
blood to the body. to the lungs to pick Plastic hearts can be
up more oxygen. implanted to replace the
Pneumatic two ventricles of the
tubing Synthetic heart. Plastic tubing is
ventricles inserted to replace the
Pulses of air from valves, and two artificial
Plastic ventricles chambers are also
an external pump replace both of the attached. The heart is
lower chambers. then connected to a
push blood out pneumatic pump worn in
a backpack, which sends
of the heart. bursts of air to the
chambers, generating
the pressure that’s
required to pump blood
around the body.

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KDEATYES 500 BCE 1957 1982 2011 2013

BIONICS FIRSTS The first known mention of a The first cochlear implant The first successful The first artificial trachea The Argus II retinal implant
is licensed, enabling
wooden prosthetic limb, patients with retinitis
worn by a prisoner after his
pigmentosa to see again.
WorldMags.netfootwasamputated.
is created. Sounds are artificial heart implant transplant takes place in
unprocessed, but it does operation is performed Sweden, using a synthetic
at the University of Utah. scaffold coated in stem cells.
help with lip reading.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1812 a prosthetic arm was invented that could be moved using cables attached to the opposite shoulder

Bionic arm Bionic limbs The future
of bionics
Joints Prosthetic limbs have come on
leaps and bounds in the past 13D-printed organs
Joints replicate the couple of decades. They still Biologists are adapting the
range of motion in a retain characteristic features, technology in order to print
human arm and hand. such as an internal skeleton for using living human cells.
structural support and a socket to The cells are laid down in
Computer attach to the amputation site, alternating layers alongside a
however the most innovative transparent gel-like scaffold
A computer processes models are now able to material. As the cells fuse,
information coming in reproduce, or even exceed, the scaffold disappears. For
from the electrodes. biological movements. Motors are more info, go to page 168.
used in place of muscles, springs
Electrodes Motors instead of tendons and wires 2Ekso skeleton
instead of nerves. Ekso Bionics has made
Electrodes pick up Beneath the casings bionic exoskeletons to allow
signals from nerves are motors to provide The movement of many people with lower limb
rerouted into movement in the arm. prosthetics is controlled paralysis to walk. Ekso
nearby muscles. externally, using cables attached supports their body and uses
to other parts of the body, or motion sensors to monitor
using a series of buttons and gestures and then translate
switches. New technology is them into movement. Read
emerging to allow the user to more on page 170.
move the limb using their mind
(see ‘The power of thought’). The 3Artificial kidney
next logical step in this process is The University of
developing technology that California, San Francisco, is
enables the prosthetic limb to developing a bionic kidney. At
sense touch, and relay the about the size of a baseball, it
information back to the user. contains silicone screens with
DARPA-funded researchers have nano-drilled holes to filter
developed FINE, a flat interface blood as it passes. It will also
nerve electrode (see below left) contain a population of
which brings nerves into close engineered kidney cells.
contact with electrodes, allowing
sensory data to pass to the brain. 4Man-made immunity
Leuko-polymersomes are
Touch-sensitive Bionic leg plastic ‘smart particles’ that
prosthetics mimic cells of the immune
Spring system. They are being © Corbis; Alamy; Thinkstock; SynCardia Systems; Getty; DARPA; Second Sight Medical Products, Inc
Touch sensor designed to stick to
A spring replaces inflammatory markers in the
Sensors on the prosthetic the Achilles’ tendon, body and could be used to
detect touch and send a providing elastic target drug delivery to
signal to the electrodes. energy storage. infections and cancer.

Electrodes Powered ankle 5Robotic blood cells
The Institute for
A panel of electrodes A motorised ankle Molecular Manufacturing is
sits across the works in place of developing nanotechnology
flattened nerve. the calf muscle. that could increase the
oxygen-carrying capacity of
Signalling Sheath Computer blood. Known as respirocytes,
the cells are made atom by
The electrodes send The nerve is encased Microprocessors atom – mostly from carbon.
a small electrical and flattened to analyse the user’s
signal to the nerve, maximise contact area movement and adjust
causing it to fire. with the electrodes. the leg accordingly.

Nerve Joint

Sensory nerves The joints are all
transmit incoming programmed to move
signals to the brain. in co-ordination with
one another.

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Medical ventilators and water filters

Medical ventilators Breathing mask

How these breathing machines perform their life-saving task A mask is fitted over the
mouth and nose so the
Breathing is one of the most natural Inside a ventilator air cannot escape.
things in the world. It’s the first thing
we do when we’re born and we go on How this machine pumps essential air into your body Artificial
doing that automatically for the rest of our lives. breathing
But sometimes people need assistance with Breathing tube
their breathing if they have respiratory issues or The air gets pushed
are under anaesthetic during an operation. The air is forced down from the pressurised
This is where the ventilator comes in. It is a the breathing tube mask into your
machine that contains oxygen and air, which is toward the user. mouth, nose and
pumped through a tube, either into your mouth travels to your lungs.
or into a surgical hole in your neck, by increasing Air bag
pressure in the machine, pushing the air into Screen
the lower pressure area of your lungs. The bag inflates and
The second option is used for people who will deflates to show that This provides a visual
need to be on the ventilator for longer as it is the air is passing display of the pressure
more comfortable and may allow the user to through the system. levels in the system.
talk. The breathing tube will push air into your
lungs, where it can be circulated around the Pressure change
body, and will also take the leftover carbon
dioxide out of your body. This is called the The system increases
endotracheal tube as it goes into the trachea or pressure inside the
windpipe. It stays on your face by a strap that machine, creating a
goes around your head. Settings on the pressure imbalance.
ventilator regulate how often air is pumped into
the lungs every minute, although the user can Return
increase this if they are feeling short of breath.
Expelled air travels
The original respirator down a different
tube and back into
Respirators have been around since the late 1920s the system.
when Philip Drinker and Louis Agassiz Shaw
created the first widely-used negative pressure
ventilator, which was more commonly known as
the iron lung. It was a heavy machine, powered by
vacuum cleaners and run using an electric motor.
It used a pump to force air into the lungs and then
draw it out again by decreasing pressure.

John Haven Emerson added a sliding tray so the
user could be pushed in and out of the machine
more easily, as well as windows along the side so
attendants could reach in and adjust the patient.
This design halved the cost of the original
machine, which had been the same as a house.

© Dreamstime; Thinkstock

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The lifesaving water filter

How can a simple straw make even the dirtiest water safe to drink?

Dirty water is one of the biggest The LifeStraw aims to reduce LifeStraw up close
killers. However, there is now a cheap the spread of disease by
and efficient way to stop dangerous, See what’s happening inside these
waterborne bugs in their tracks: the LifeStraw. providing clean water to all pocket-sized water filters
The device decontaminates dirty water,
making it safe for human consumption. It Mouthpiece
achieves this by using a 0.2-micrometre tube
with a hollow fibre membrane that allows water Safe water is now ready to drink. You just
through, but not dirt and virtually no blow air through to clean the straw out
pathogens like parasites and bacteria, of which and it’s ready to use again.
over 99.9 per cent are blocked.
As the latest iteration of the LifeStraw doesn’t Filtration
use electricity or chemicals, it’s ideal for
remote, impoverished areas experiencing Hollow fibres in the tube trap 99.9999 per
drought or an unreliable water supply. It can cent of bacteria and 99.9 per cent of
process up to 1,000 litres (264 gallons). parasites and filter out any soil particles.
It’s already helped during the aftermath of
natural disasters and mainly targets diarrhoea Plastic casing
and Guinea worm disease: leading causes of
death in developing countries. Weighing in at just 56g (2oz), the straw is
very practical for distribution and
compact enough to carry with you 24/7.

Dirty water

The potentially contaminated water is
sucked up at the bottom of the device.

Intelligent fingerprinting

The tech that enables illegal substances to be detected with just a fingerprint

The University of East Anglia in the UK Nanoparticle drug testing Gold nanoparticle © Thinkstock; Safe-Rain Corporation
has developed a handheld device that
detects the breakdown products of The test takes advantage of biology, using antibodies The entire complex is held
commonly abused drugs in sweat released to detect the products of drug breakdown together using biologically
from pores in the fingertips.
An image of the fingerprint is taken to create Antibody inert gold particles.
a reference point and treated with a solution
containing gold nanoparticles, which stick to Antibodies are generated Linker
the breakdown products of illicit substances. by the immune system and
The particles are stained with a fluorescent dye can be manufactured in A linker molecule is used
and a second image of the print is taken. the laboratory to stick to to attach the antibodies
This test is far quicker than alternative almost any target. to the gold nanoparticle.
methods and it also provides proof that a
positive result belongs to the owner of the Protein
fingerprint and is not down to sample
contamination. Sweat is released from pores in In combination with
the fingertips and finally tracks along the the linker molecule,
fingerprint ridges, carrying with it traces of proteins are used to bind
drug metabolites that gradually decrease in the antibodies to the
concentration. If the staining of the print is gold nanoparticle.
greatest at the pores, it provides solid evidence
that the metabolites are being released from Detection
the sweat glands of the person being tested.
Antibodies stick
specifically to the
metabolites of commonly
abused substances.

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Dialysis and patient simulators

How dialysis cleans blood

Discover how the amazing dialysis process rids your body of harmful waste

When kidneys fail to filter your blood of How peritoneal dialysis works Blood cells
waste and unwanted water, we rely on
dialysis. An artificial process, it takes Learn how a different type of dialysis can fit into your working life The pores in the
the basic scientific principles of concentration membrane are too small to
gradients and diffusion to filter out harmful Diffusion allow large red blood cells
substances from the bloodstream, such as extra to pass through, so they
salt and excess fluids. A dialysis machine can The waste products and remain in the vessel.
control which substances are removed and at excess electrolytes
what concentration, allowing fine control of present in the blood are Removing used
waste product removal and electrolyte balance, drawn across the fluid
like sodium and potassium. Dialysis is needed membrane by the
when the kidneys’ natural function is lost. Since diffusion gradient created The patient now
you can live with one kidney, both need to be by the dialysis fluid. reattaches the bag and
affected before dialysis is required. Common empties the used fluid
reasons for dialysis are severe diabetes and Membrane from their abdomen,
long-standing high blood pressure, while rare taking away the waste
causes include genetic diseases. The walls of the veins products too.
Dialysis machines date back to the Second now act as the diffusion
World War. The technology developed rapidly as membrane, with blood Port
it was proven to save lives and today there are inside and the dialysis
two main types: haemodialysis, which filters the fluid outside. The patient is left with a
blood, and peritoneal dialysis, which filters fluid small port in their skin,
within the abdomen. While life-saving, dialysis Veins meaning they can travel
needs to be performed up to four times a week and work.
and is not without complications. A kidney Like other veins, these
transplant offers the best chance of long-term carry the waste products Catheter
cure, but the number of patients on transplant the body creates.
waiting lists far exceeds the number of donated The first step is to insert
kidneys, so dialysis remains a key part of Fluid bath a special tube, which sits
keeping people alive around the world. within the natural space
The dialysis fluid sits inside the abdomen (the
How a dialysis within the abdomen and peritoneal cavity).
machine works bathes the blood vessels.

Sterile tubing is attached to a vein (to take blood Dialysis fluid
away from the body) and an artery (to return
cleaned blood) in the patient’s arm. The process The patient pours the bag
relies on a semi-permeable membrane, a thin of sterile dialysis fluid
sheet with tiny holes that only allows molecules into their abdomen at a
under a certain size to pass through. On one side convenient time and then
of the membrane is the blood, carrying nutrients disconnects the bag.
and waste products. On the other side is the
kidney, containing early © SPL
components of urine. The
pores prevent large particles
like red blood cells from
escaping the bloodstream.
This process is replicated
exactly in the machine. On one
side is the removed
blood and on the
other is a solution
that draws out the waste
products from the blood.

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DID YOU KNOW? Human patient simulators can be programmed to mimic just about any patient; old or young, male or female

Human patient simulators

Using a combination of electronics, hydraulics and mathematical models, see
how these mannequins can help us train for a real-life medical emergency

The simulation is managed by a rate, which can also be monitored via The mannequin is packed with sensors in
sophisticated computer program, electrical signals through the chest using an order to detect treatments as and when they
which integrates the incoming ECG machine. In the arm, a vein at the elbow are administered. If the procedure happens to
information from the sensors in the allows a cannula to be inserted, and on-board be performed incorrectly, the simulation will
mannequin. Using complex mathematical fluids enable blood samples to be taken. react just as an actual patient would.
models of real human physiology, the software
alters the patient’s condition in real-time as the Pumps, hydraulics and motors, meanwhile, The most sophisticated simulators also allow
medics attempt to treat the patient. are used to control the patient’s movements, by drugs to be administered and are even able to
Blood vessels that are found in the arms, opening and closing the eyes, making the respond based on the type and dosage, using a
neck and groin pulse in time with the heart chest rise and fall, and even allowing for barcode system in order to alert the computer
simulated convulsions. to the incoming medication.

Inside a patient simulator

These advanced medical training aids are packed with technology
that replicates the complex functions of the human body

Consciousness Chest sounds Genitourinary Body fluids

Light sensors in the eyes adjust Speakers in the chest allow Catheterisation can be practised Many of the most realistic
the pupil size, altering reaction medics to listen for irregularities on the mannequin and on-board models contain reservoirs, which
time depending on the condition in breathing or heartbeat. fluids even simulate urine flow. produce replica body fluids such
of the simulated patient. as blood, urine and saliva.

Intravenous access

Veins in the arms allow Circulation

Airway intravenous drugs to be Mechanical components beneath
the skin mimic the feel of pulsing
Realistic airways enable administered. The program is arteries and electronics in the
medics to practise intubation chest generate signals that can be
techniques. Some contain a alerted by a barcode system. picked up by an ECG machine.
gas analyser to identify the
composition of inhaled air. Cardiac arrest

Pressure sensors in the chest

mean the mannequin responds

to chest compressions.

Types of patient simulators

Adult Baby Pregnant mother Virtual patients © CAE Healthcare

Adult simulators are used in Infant medical care is very These specialist mannequins are Some patient simulators are
medical and military training. By different to that of an adult, and used to simulate childbirth and are entirely virtual, with no physical
mimicking the circulatory system baby simulators provide capable of delivering a baby representation of the patient at all.
and airways, medics can practise specialised training in emergency naturally, or by caesarean. These complex computer programs
emergency techniques so trainees infant care. The small mannequins Common medical complications – can model huge numbers of
can gain experience in managing allow intravenous injections to be such as breech birth and biological processes. They do not
life-threatening medical performed and the membranes of postpartum haemorrhage – can all provide hands-on training, but
conditions without jeopardising the mouth turn blue if the be re-created to enable medics to instead allow scientists to rapidly
real human patients. mannequin is starved of oxygen. train for natal emergencies. test new medical hypotheses.

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Biometrics

THE WORLD OF

How fingerprint scans and other technologies can identify you

In today’s connected world, the need unique to individuals, they make more reliable these into numerical code. Finally, these
to verify our identity comes up identifiers, are tough to copy and are mathematical descriptions get compared to a
countless times each day. Right now, impossible to forget. Biometric identifiers are database in search of a match.
we tend to do that by one of two means: with a grouped into physiological characteristics, like
physical token like a passport or a door key, or fingerprints, iris patterns and vein geometry; Biometrics can be used in a variety of
with a piece of knowledge like a password or and behavioural traits, like the way a person settings; in national border control or high-
PIN. But physical ID can be lost or types, talks or walks. security data, website and physical access. It
counterfeited, and passwords can be stolen, can also monitor who is entering and leaving a
hacked or simply forgotten. Biometric identifications all begin with some workplace or to ensure hospital patients are
Enter biometrics. Instead of relying on form of scan or data collection. This correctly identified, as well as in law
tokens or knowledge, biometrics uses information is then encoded. In the past, this enforcement and security surveillance. Read
distinctive measurable characteristics about a step would be done manually, for example on to learn about how your unique physical
person to identify them. Because these are noting the locations of distinctive features in and behavioural characteristics can act as your
fingerprints, but nowadays computers convert new password for everything!

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FINGERPRINT ID SPEED RECORD

The number of fingerprints searched in less than one second by the world’s
fastest automatic identification system – DERMALOG Next Generation AFIS.
At ten prints per person, that’s more than the entire population of Portugal.
RBERCEOARKDERS 12W9oMrILLlIOdNMags.netFINGERPRINTING

DID YOU KNOW? Four in ten UK secondary schools now use biometric technology as a means of identifying pupils

Brain waves Heart rhythm

Great minds think alike, Forget your memory, all
but signal differently you need is a pulse!

Even when two people think of the The beat of your own drum – your heart rhythm – is unlike
same thing, the electrical impulses anyone else’s. The heart’s particular pattern is governed by
in their brains differ slightly. factors including its shape, size and position in the body. This
Brain-wave biometrics exploits the method could potentially rival a fingerprint for ID authentication
fact that we all produce distinct purposes, according to the inventors of the Nymi rhythm band.
patterns of alpha-beta brain waves.
Cardiac rhythm is monitored using an electrocardiogram
To perform a biometric brain-wave (ECG) and is graphically represented as a series of peaks and
authentication, a user dons a headset that troughs that correspond to the electrical impulses generated by
measures their brain activity by means of a the heart as it beats. The Nymi wristband continuously
single dry-contact sensor on their forehead.
Next, they think their ‘pass-thought’, which is a compares the wearer’s ECG waveform to that of the
mental task such as recalling a favourite song registered user of nearby devices. If the two match up, the
or counting objects of a specific colour. Finally, band creates an encryption key, which it transmits to the
their brain waves are compared with stored devices via Bluetooth.
recordings of their pass-thoughts to
authenticate their identity. The Nymi makes it possible for devices to recognise their
user and prevent imposters from gaining
Gait access to them. Wearing it, a user
can unlock their devices as they
Although humans share basic come into close range,
movement patterns, gait varies automatically sign out as they
widely from person to person step away, perform secure
transactions by verifying
Ever noticed how you can recognise a their ID at real-world
friend approaching, before your eyes even checkouts, control devices
focus on the details, just from the way they with gestures, and even
cut through the crowd? That’s because each
person’s walk – or gait – is unique. Small track their fitness levels.
variations in the lengths of our limbs, the Thankfully, going for a run
dimensions of our muscles, the angles our joints doesn’t alter the
make, and the complex way our muscles fire in characteristic shape of an
sequence to propel us forward means that each and ECG and age appears to have
every one of us has a characteristic lope. little effect.

A gait analysis studies a multitude of movement Vein matching
parameters from video footage or sensor information
– including a person’s walking speed, stride length, step No two people have identical veins – not even
width, the angles of their joints in motion, and how their identical twins!
joints rotate and respond to the varying kinetic forces
throughout their stride – and converts this into a Just like fingerprints, everybody’s vein geometry is
mathematical description of a person’s walk. Gait analysis is completely unique and remains the same throughout
unobtrusive; it requires no physical contact with the subject their lives. Unlike fingerprints, however, vascular
and can even be done in secret to identify criminals. patterns are almost impossible to counterfeit because of
the vessels’ location beneath the skin’s surface.
Walk this way To map a person’s veins, their hand or finger is placed into a
scanner and illuminated with near-infrared light. A CCD digital
Gait analysis identifies people based on camera takes a picture and, because haemoglobin in the blood
their characteristic walking patterns absorbs the light but the surrounding tissues do not, the veins
show up in the picture as black lines. Geometric details such as
vein thickness, branching points and branching angles are
extracted and mapped for comparison.

In a similar vein The light from a
near-infrared light source
Vein matching identifies penetrates the skin and
a person by their unique is absorbed by veins but
vascular geometry transmitted by other
tissues. The pattern of
CCD CAMERA shadows is recorded by a
CCD camera and then
Loading Terminal Initial Mid Terminal matched to a digital
responce stance swing swing swing database.

Midstance Pre-swing VEINS

The stance and swing phases are when the lead foot is and isn’t in contact with the ground, NEAR-INFRARED
respectively. The timings of each phase are unique due to your musculoskeletal make-up. (NIR) LEDs

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Biometrics

Facial
recognition

This system identifies our
unique facial topography

Humans are exceptionally skilled at
recognising and distinguishing faces – there’s
even a special region of the brain devoted to the
task – but computers are quickly catching up.
Automatic facial recognition systems analyse
the contours of faces to identify individuals
from photos, video footage, or 3D surface maps.

The technology creates a faceprint by
measuring and mapping distinguishing
features that aren’t susceptible to alteration
with expression and don’t change with age.
These include the curve of the eye sockets, the
distances between the eyes, nose, mouth and
jaw, the width of the nose and the shape of
the cheekbones.

Because it can be done covertly and from a
distance, facial recognition is useful for
surveillance purposes, and 3D systems can
even recognise faces in darkness, at angles of
up to 90 degrees. The system isn’t foolproof
though: canny criminals can easily conceal
their faces with masks.

A face in the crowd

How facial mapping and matching algorithms can identify you at a distance

Detection Alignment Measurement

Special software detects the The software deduces the The curves, ridges and valleys of the
presence of a face in a photograph alignment of the face with respect face are mapped at a resolution of
or video footage. to the camera. less than 1mm (0.04in).

0101101 01100
1011101 10011
1010011 00110
0110110 11010

Representation Compatibility conversion Matching

Facial feature measurements are To compare a 3D image with an older The encoded faceprint image is
digitised so the image can be
compared with others in a database. database of 2D images, an algorithm compared with those stored in a

converts the source to 2D. database, seeking a potential match.

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KDEATYES 2000 BCE 1870s 1892 1994 2013

BIOMETRIC Evidence suggests Alphonse Bertillon’s Sir Francis Galton develops The world’s first India’s Aadhaar project finishes
IDENTIFICATION capturing biometric data of over half
fingerprints were used on anthropometrics catalogue
clay tablets in transactions and identify serial criminals a billion residents, making it the
world’s largest biometric database.
WorldMags.netinAncientBabylon. bytheirbodymeasurements.
a fingerprint classification successful iris-recognition
system using prints from algorithm is patented by

all ten fingers. Dr John Daugman.

DID YOU KNOW? The Canadian Kennel Club has been accepting dog-nose prints as proof of identity since 1938

Iris scanning Image capture Iris location

This tech has gone from science CCD camera takes a picture Uses landmark
fiction to science fact using visible and near-infrared features such as pupil
Iris scanning is underpinned by the light, from a distance of 10cm centre and edge,
fact that no two irises – the textured (4in) to a few metres away. eyelids and eyelashes.
coloured muscle that regulates the size
of your pupil – are identical. They Mapping Representation Matching
develop randomly in the womb, form fully
by eight months of age, and remain stable Pattern-recognition Pattern information is Matches are found by
throughout the rest of a person’s life. software analyses converted into numerical comparing over 200
the idiosyncratic code for comparison with distinct reference points
During an iris scan, a CCD digital camera takes a structures of the iris. stored images. in the iris images.
high-contrast picture of your eye using both visible and
near-infrared light. The iris is located in the image via
landmarks including the pupil edge and eyelids, and
pattern-recognition software maps the iris’s distinct
structure of furrows, speckles and ridges.

Iris-recognition systems are among the most accurate
of all biometric technologies, and offer more than 200
reference points for comparison (compared to 60 to 70
points in fingerprints). Iris scanning should not be
confused with retinal scanning, which compares the
patterns of blood vessels on the back of the eye.

Voice recognition

You – and your dulcet tones – are a truly singular voice

The sound of your voice is governed by characteristics and intensity dynamics of the
physiological factors – the shape of your vocal speaker’s voice are extracted and used to
tract, airways and surrounding soft-tissue identify them.
cavities – as well as behavioural factors, linked to
personality and peer influence, which affect the Simple voice-authentication systems require a
motion of your mouth as you speak. Together, person to speak a previously recorded password,
these mean that everyone’s voice is distinct. but these can be vulnerable if a hacker has a
recording of a person saying their password.
Voice-recognition systems record a More advanced systems prompt a user to say a
spectrogram of how sound frequency varies random word and authenticate this against a
with time. Qualities like the acoustic complete profile of the person’s voice.

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Biometrics

Fingerprinting Out of print

How smartphone and airport Fingerprint analysis is the oldest and most
fingerprint scanners work Mapping established method of biometric identification

Characteristic
minutiae – the
location and
direction of ridge
ends, swirls and
splits – are sought
out and mapped.

Pattern extraction

Geometric patterns between
different minutiae are plotted.

Fingerprint identification is the oldest and most Capture
widely used biometric method. Our fingerprints
– the pattern of loops, whorls and arches – form Subject places
randomly in the womb and remain unchanged their fingers on
throughout our lives. Like snowflakes, there are scanning surface
infinite pattern possibilities and scientists and the system
believe no two fingerprints are ever formed the records the skin’s
same way. pattern of ridges.

Although there is evidence that fingerprints Representation
were used as a person’s mark or signature in
Ancient Babylon, they have been systematically Relational patterns are converted
used to identify people since 1892, when Sir into numerical code so they can
Francis Galton developed a way to classify be compared with stored data.
ten-finger print sets. Galton identified common
local features in fingerprints – like where the Matching
ridges start, end and split along their paths –
which became known as ‘Galton Points.’ System finds potential matches
between the encoded prints and the
Galton’s legacy lives on in today’s fingerprint database by comparing over 60
matching, which uses the location and individual reference points.
orientation of a subset of his points, called
minutiae. With the advent of computing Are fingerprints really unique?
technology in the 1960s, fingerprint matching
became automated. Today, the FBI’s IAFIS Fingerprint evidence has been a staple of forensic degraded, and the exact print left by an individual
(Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification investigations for over a century and is considered finger can vary slightly from one impression to the
System) – holds over 100 million individuals’ to be conclusive proof of a suspect having been at a next. Also, humans aren’t alone in having
prints and performs over 60 million searches on crime scene. But some experts contend the fingerprints. Chimps, orangutans and koalas all share
the database per year. underlying principle that no two fingerprints are the trait and their prints could easily be mistaken for
alike. The predominant patterns in your prints – human ones at an interspecies crime scene.
Prints are collected by a variety of means. They whorls, loops or arches – run strongly in families
can be lifted from a crime scene using fine and, while evidence suggests it is improbable, Studies show that even experts are prone to
powder or reactive chemicals, or they can be proving that no two people have identical prints is mistakes, coming to different conclusions than
taken from a person by inking their fingers and practically impossible. their peers and even identifying the same set of
stamping them on paper. More recently, they can prints differently on second glance. This, at least, is
be captured digitally with a variety of sensors, Even if they truly are unique, the collection and one weakness that automated fingerprint
including optical, thermal and capacitance identification process can be prone to human error. identification by computers can banish, reducing
sensors. Sophisticated computer algorithms Crime scene fingerprints can be partial, smudged or the risk of false convictions and unjust punishment.
analyse the minutiae patterns in the prints and
look for matches in a database.

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DID YOU KNOW? The word biometrics derives from the Greek for ‘life’ and ‘measure’ and was first used in 1902

Keystroke recognition Biometric revolution

Your typing rhythm is as distinctive as your handwriting or signature Dr Arun Ross, associate
professor of Computer
Typing rhythms are idiosyncratic because each of us Keystroke-timing data can be collected from any Science and Engineering at
has particular characters that always seem to evade keyboard and compared with stored pattern data to Michigan State University,
us and certain common letter combinations that fly confirm the user is who they claim to be. But the answers our questions on
from our fingers faster than the rest. Keystroke technique is limited by the fact that, even though an the amazing burgeoning
recognition analyses the rhythm and features of a individual’s typing rhythm is independent of how fast field of biometrics
person’s typing style by logging nuances like how long or slow they type, other factors such as how tired they
they take to reach and depress a key (flight time) and are or whether they have consumed alcohol can What major advances have been made in
how long they hold keys down (dwell time). interfere with it. biometrics in the last decade?
Arun Ross: First, the matching accuracy of
A certain type biometric systems has substantially improved.
Second, it’s now possible to search through large
Keystroke recognition uses your typing rhythms to authenticate your identity databases of identities very quickly, due to
improvements in computational power and
Dwell time Flight time Keycode development of efficient indexing models. Third, a
number of new sensors have been designed. For
Length of time Length of time between one key Coded identifier for which example, it’s now possible to perform iris
key is held down. release and depression of next key. character was pressed. recognition at a distance.

Biometric typing sample format What kind of matching accuracies are we
talking about?
0d72 | 16u72 | 63d69 | 46u69 | 102d76 | 96u79 … Ross: That depends on the kind of data you’re
working on. If you work with mugshots or
Relative time to last event Down event Up event Keycode high-quality fingerprint images, recognition rates
can exceed 99 per cent. But if you’re dealing with
Biometric passports same basic data as the standard passport information low-quality data from surveillance video, or © Dreamstime; The Art Agency; Science Photo Library; Thinkstock; Apple
page, plus encrypted digital images of one or more of degraded fingerprints that are lifted from a crime
Biometric documents make identity fraud the holder’s biometrics. scene, the performance can drop to the 60s.
near impossible
When the holder steps up to the immigration Where are biometric identification
A passport is the ultimate proof of identity. Aside from window, the relevant biometrics are captured and techniques having the most impact?
your birth certificate, it is pretty much the last then compared to those in the passport. All passports Ross: Early systems were mostly used by law
document you would ever want to be stolen or forged; now issued in the UK are biometric, and contain enforcement for criminal investigations, but now
a thief could wreak all sorts of havoc while assuming information about the holder’s face, such as the we’re seeing biometrics being incorporated into
your identity, leaving you to deal with the distances between the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. border security systems and national ID card
consequences. National border-security agencies programs. We’re also seeing biometrics enter the
need to monitor exactly who enters and leaves their consumer electronics market, including
country, a need that, in these times of mass global smartphones. This is likely to become
travel and international terror threats, has become commonplace as we conduct more and more
ever-more pressing. sensitive transactions online, so the need to verify
our identities becomes especially important.
A biometric passport, or e-passport, combines the
paper passport of old with a tiny chip and an antenna What are some of the ethical or security
that allows it to be read electronically. The chip is concerns surrounding biometric data
embedded into a page of the passport in such a way collection and storage?
that it can’t be tampered with. The chip contains the Ross: One concern is whether data will be used
for purposes outside those expressed at the time
of collection – a phenomenon we refer to as
function creep. There are also concerns over data
theft and misuse. For example, can someone steal
my fingerprint as it is being transmitted through
cyberspace and play it back for another
transaction, or create a fake fingerprint using the
stolen data? Legal scholars and biometric
researchers are working to see how these security
and privacy concerns can be mitigated.

What developments on the horizon strike
you as most exciting?
Ross: Many of us store, access and transmit
extremely sensitive information – both personal
and professional – using our smartphones, so
incorporating biometric solutions into our phones
will become important for applications such as
online banking. In several countries in Africa,
smartphone use is rapidly increasing as access to
the internet becomes ubiquitous. Biometrics could
be used to great effect there to, for example,
verify identities remotely when people use their
smartphones to access resources like microloans.

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Robotic surgery

Robotic surgery

Medical technology in the operating theatre has come on leaps
and bounds, but it still needs a helping hand from humans…

Robotic surgery allows for control and da Vinci in action
precision previously unknown to
surgeons. Contrary to popular belief, This state-of-the-art surgical system works as part of a big team to
the robot does not operate on the patient alone. deliver high-precision surgery. Find out what role it plays now…
It is a ‘slave’ to a human ‘master’, meaning it is
not a true robot (these have intelligence and Human operator 3D vision
react automatically). The surgeon sits at a
console next to the operating table and the The robot is the ‘slave’, The terminal provides a
robot is placed around the anaesthetised while the surgeon is the hi-def 3D image,
patient. The surgeon looks at a high-definition ‘master’. This means that generated from the
3D image provided by the robot’s cameras, and the robot can’t act alone, camera attached to one
special joysticks are used to control the as the surgeon controls of the robotic arms.
ultra-fine movements of the robotic arms. all its movements.
This brings many exciting advantages. The
camera, previously held by a human being, is Joysticks
now held perfectly still by the robot. The
movements and angles that the arms of the The surgeon uses
machine provide allow for fine precision and joysticks that allow for
less damage to adjacent tissues when cutting, complete movement of
leading to reduced pain and a faster their hands; da Vinci
recovery. This has led to very rapid uptake then exactly replicates
by some specialists, including urologists these micro-movements
(who operate on the bladder and kidney), within the patient.
gynaecologists (who operate on the
uterus and ovaries) and heart Foot pedals
surgeons. As with most
technologies, there are downsides The surgeons use both
to using robots in operations. They their hands and feet to
are expensive, large, cumbersome to control the robot. The
move into place, and remove the foot pedals help move
important tactile feeling of real tissue the camera’s position.
between the surgeon’s fingers.
Robotic surgery is considered a step
forward from standard keyhole surgery,
where the surgeon holds the camera and
operating arms. However, early results have
shown that there are practically no outcome
differences between the two techniques.
Combined with higher costs, some surgeons
think this means robots are actually
inferior to current techniques. This
has led to the development of
on-going trials, comparing robotic
to standard keyhole surgery.
Surgeons around the world are working as a
single, giant team to deliver these, and the
results will determine the future of medical
robots for generations to come.

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DID YOU KNOW? Surgical robots are incredibly expensive, with current versions costing around £900,000 ($1.45mn) each

Robotic arms

The ends of the robot’s
arms, which include a
camera and operating
instruments, are placed in
the operating site at the
start of the procedure.

Internal view

The camera is projected
onto several screens around
the operating theatre, so
the team knows exactly
what the surgeon is doing.

Surgical team

Someone always remains
‘scrubbed up’, so that they
are sterile and ready to
move any parts of the
patient or robot.

Fluorescence The evolution of © 2013 Intuitive Surgical Inc; NASA
imaging robotic surgery
The PUMA 200 (inset) was used to
Fluorescence imaging is still in the The current robots in use, like the da Vinci place a needle for brain surgery in
experimental stages, and is right Surgical System, are second generation. The first 1985, then was later developed by
at the cutting edge of generation, like the Unimation PUMA developed NASA to aid virtual reality studies
technological science. Indocyanine in the Eighties, had very limited movements and
green (ICG) is a dye that was could only carry out specific tasks. The second
initially developed for photography generation brought a range of fine and varied
and is now used clinically. It is actions, which surgeons rapidly adapted to.
injected into the patient’s These new-and-improved robots were pioneered
bloodstream, and has been and driven forward by North American health
adapted so that it sticks to cancer systems. Uptake has been slower in Britain due
cells – for example, within the to health budgets, at a time when other
bowels. At the time of surgery, the treatments have an even bigger impact on
doctor inserts a camera into the patient outcome. There is excitement over
patient’s body (either using their development of the third generation of robot,
hands or a robot), and the dye is which promises to be more compact, faster and
excited by light at a precisely to be packing in even more cutting-edge
matching wavelength. This creates technology. The future may see telesurgery,
bright green fluorescence, where the surgeon in one place (eg a hospital)
distinguishing cancerous from performs robotic surgery on a patient elsewhere
normal tissue and allowing the (eg an injured soldier on a battlefield).
surgeon to make precise incisions.

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Cornea reshaping lenses and endoscopies

A cornea-reshaping lens

Sleeping with this special contact lens can correct near-sightedness

Sick of spectacles? Can’t handle of presbyopia, where the eye’s ability to Corneal refractive therapy
contact lenses? There’s now a focus on close objects is diminished. As
way to correct your vision; well as being a day-to-day treatment, it What happens to your eye overnight
orthokeratology. This method involves a can be used to slow the onset of near-
type of gas-permeable contact lens that sightedness in children. Diagnosis Fitting the
reshapes your cornea while you sleep. lens
When you wake up, you remove the Orthokeratology is primarily designed Your near or
lenses and your vision is 20/20 for the for people who do not qualify for laser far-sightedness The lens is put onto
day. This will last for a few days until eye surgery. The reshaping of the cornea may be due to your eye just like a
your eyes’ corneas return to their natural is only temporary, so there is very little your cornea being standard contact
shape, but you can repeat the process. risk for the eye. The surface of the eye is the wrong shape. lens. You wear it as
The procedure, which is also known measured by a corneal topographer, This is where you snooze and
as corneal refractive therapy, is most which maps the cornea so the corrective orthokeratology take it out the
effective for people with mild myopia lens can be moulded in the right shape. comes in. following morning.
(near-sightedness), hyperopia (far- In some patients 20/20 vision isn’t
sightedness) and astigmatism. ‘Ortho-K’ possible, but 20/40 – usually the legal Correction The next day
can also help correct or prevent the onset limit for diving – is the aim point for the
majority of procedures. The cornea in each The following
eye will adjust into morning your sight
a new mould will have improved.
overnight to give Lasting for a few
you better eyesight. days, the process
It is a completely can be repeated for
painless process. extended effect.

How to 3D print an organ Acceptance Implant

The stages of printing a replacement organ with Doctors then wait to see if the The organ is placed into the body
this revolutionary technology organ is accepted by the body. where it is connected up to the
relevant systems.
Scan

The patient has a CT or MRI scan
to build up an image of the organ.

Model

A computer model is
created from the scan.

3D-printed organs

The next step in the world of 3D printing

At the turn of the century, printing was build up a 3D image of the organ. The gel is then Printing Gel removal
limited to words and pictures on a removed, leaving just the cells. This would then
page. Now, in less than two decades, be implanted into the patient. There are still The organ is printed using The gel gets washed
we are on the cusp of being able to print human many challenges to overcome in 3D printing human cells and a sticky away, leaving just the cells
organs. Patients are sent for a CT or MRI scan that organs, such as creating arteries, veins and gel that binds it together. in the shape of the organ.
maps out the organ that needs to be printed. A capillaries, but the day we can replace a person’s
digital model is then created in a computer. The liver, kidney or even heart with a 3D-printed © SPL; Thinkstock
printer uses human cells mixed with a gel to organ seems to be creeping ever closer.

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Taking photos in the body

How do we capture images from inside the human digestive system?

An endoscopy is any operation To capture images, the mechanism shines a Nil by mouth
involving the study of the inner light from its LED source onto the wall of any
workings of the human body. part of the gastrointestinal tract. These images Camera capsule endoscopy is a painless and
Traditionally, an instrument called an are then transported by radio waves to a nearby relatively fast process. To allow the procedure
endoscope is used, but more recently tiny receiver or monitor for analysis. to work effectively, the patient must observe a
cameras inside capsules we can swallow have few important measures. Prior to examination,
been taking their place. Specialising in the If there’s a downside, it is that currently the the patient must not eat or drink anything for
inspection of the intestines, oesophagus and camera can’t be stopped to take a closer look at 12 hours. In some cases, patients may also
stomach, it can examine places the endoscope anything, as it’s moved by natural peristalsis. need to cleanse their bowel before the
could never reach. In particular, it studies the procedure takes place. After taking the
three major sections of the small intestine: the To date, over 400,000 procedures have been capsule, you can move around as long as you
duodenum, jejunum and ileum. performed worldwide and retention has don’t make any sudden movements. The
About the size of a pound coin, the capsule occurred in only 0.75 per cent of cases, so the vast majority who have used the
transmits images to outside data recorders. It chances of it not passing through safely are very capsule said they felt no
moves naturally through the digestive tract and slim. In around eight hours the capsule can pain or discomfort.
is designed to help diagnose the causes of capture an incredible 50,000 or so images. You can drink clear
chronic diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel liquids two hours
disease, abdominal pain and malabsorption. It costs about £600 ($1,000) to administer but after ingestion
its ability to explore parts of the digestive and eat food
system in unprecedented detail – outside after about
invasive surgery – is invaluable. four hours.

The camera in a pill

What technology makes up this inner-body explorer?

Casing Battery power

A waterproof shell made A small yet powerful
of lactose and barium cell means the capsule
allows the capsule to can last for around
survive the hydrochloric eight hours.
acid in the stomach.

Images can be instantly
transmitted to a computer
for closer analysis

Lens

Housed in a
transparent optical
dome, it is wide
angled to take the
best images of the
digestive system.

© Rex Features; Corbis; DK Images Lighting Antenna

A light-emitting diode Radio waves from an
is attached to the antenna send the recorded
device to illuminate images to a receiver worn
the digestive tract. on a belt outside the body.

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Exo-suits

FMWISCAATTNSUIOTFTAHNFHNE,OODUFFUNUMGSTSAHCIILOCITENNHNTOINHOCWEEEF satItpcacamrtohooyaudni’epsbeWspmcogdcteaoyapmdehpmhtbbdctimiaaeyesoolcorennandsesmrirsbgtiioeaatweassdIboltfmirnpeeusthomoiotimdddnepuamoinrtsprlaenonrhmeadcMalrntrdxukaepwieihioioosaenpmnovdnbeinsnrottwdherogikaaisllooiveuvfpeeuemnscief.ecm,lrcitl-nFaelod.eeitmsooodhrtoamnlv.opnonyaevnTelnime,iocatrhnshccwrrshnneoatqasbamaoigcninnpunonptreeoscahpkoieserrdcueucoieskabtiktphpgddnnhisteehotoeihuitieanrisnooenrcn,atnc-esfrsioigssdgoudnsfnhttoanvmlsrogugefilcaosodfmfealinnwrimoskeocgan,?eremensdr abtfitptmdbltrirneihhheadeeyeefcivtgeeeSrlvvernothdoeaytsealhnhdrnuinasrolnweaukdosongooagcpemtEpiihulfsleanilootmyarslsHmamshggoro,rsboneioeytbitutepomonhn-ihywoncrmluer’stelsotsnetndssaIibesareebtcotnswolpcecstviWrfufehuahhoieaiaitcwgbnttroihiarbnhhcnhablrnetlaedsatokeethayginemgoudsobsoftfisedfuotannrtiutot.osaithsnpgswgsmBvuhniketaoheotteceaeiosigthwntchfbnilesuoresctpkeyrdoaya.rswsoewraeuWuoes,skvso,uncnunoegaosoesuipdomrdniefholclblluwctbdndydilnuelheiotorecvmnaiihinaemeeou.nfetiatatnaaraareitotvkfint.hhnluetieicieoeodnrtginygsrs

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RECORD DEEP DIVING SUIT
BREAKERS
A 240kg (530lb) deep-sea diving suit called the Exosuit, a
GOING DEEPER
next-generation Atmospheric Diving System (ADS), has enabled

1W,0o0r0ldfMt ags.netscientiststoexploretheoceanasfaras305m(1,000ft).

DID YOU KNOW? The first prototype for the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) was built in 1997

HUMAN LIMBS EVOLVED

One of the most useful developments in human
augmentation right now is Cyberdyne Inc’s
Hybrid Assistive Limb, codenamed HAL. HAL is
the world’s first cyborg-type robotic system for
supporting and enhancing a person’s legs, giving
them the ability to walk if disabled.

Attached to the user’s lower back and legs, HAL
works in a five-step process. The user merely
thinks about the motions they want to undertake,
such as walking. This causes the user’s brain to
transmit nerve signals to the muscles necessary
for the motion to take place. At this stage, a
disabled user wouldn’t be able to receive these
nerve signals correctly in their limb muscles, but
with HAL attached, they can. HAL is able to read
the user’s emitted bio-electric signals (BES), faint
subsidiary signals from the brain-muscle signals
that extend to the surface of the user’s skin. By
detecting these signals, HAL is then able to
interpret the motion intended by the user and
execute it, allowing them to move.

What is most exciting about HAL is its potential
to train disabled individuals to move without its
help. That is because every time HAL helps its
user move, a natural feedback mechanism sees
the user’s brain confirm the executed movement,
training the user’s body to transmit those nerve
signals correctly. While still some way off,
continued development could eventually see HAL
train a disabled person to walk unassisted.

Top 5 movie mechs

Gipsy Danger Power Loader AMP Rhino APU

Pacific Rim (2013) Aliens (1986) Avatar (2009) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Matrix Revolutions
(2014) (2003)
One of the most important Piloted by Ripley in James Another hot mech from the
mechs from 2013’s Pacific Cameron’s Aliens, the Power mind of James Cameron, Russian mobster Aleksei Protecting the remnants of
Rim, Gipsy Danger helps Loader mech helps Avatar’s AMP plays a key role Sytsevich breaks out of humanity against the
humanity combat inter- Sigourney Weaver’s feisty in the film’s finale, with the prison and tears up sentinels of the Matrix
dimensional beasts bent on protagonist face off against baddie wreaking a whole lot Manhattan in a mech suit universe, the APU deals huge
Earth’s destruction. the fearsome alien queen. of havoc in one. inspired by a rhinoceros. damage with big guns.

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Exo-suits

No longer the sole domain
of comics and movies like

GI Joe, exoskeletons are
helping soldiers in the field

FASTER, STRONGER, TOUGHER

While Cyberdyne Inc’s HAL is mechanism transfers the weight
helping disabled people move carried by the soldier into the
once again, Lockheed Martin’s ground, while providing power
HULC Exoskeleton is for continued, agile movement in
transforming able-bodied the theatre of war.
soldiers into mechanised
warriors capable of feats of Due to the HULC’s advanced
strength, speed and endurance composite construction and
never before seen by humans. build materials, it also acts as
armour for its user, protecting
A hydraulic exoskeleton, the them from musculoskeletal
HULC allows soldiers to perform injuries caused by stress from
superhuman feats such as carrying heavy loads. Indeed,
carrying loads of 90 kilograms when you consider that HULC
(200 pounds) over difficult terrain may also improve metabolic
for hours on end, all the while efficiency in its user, reduce
retaining maximum mobility. It oxygen consumption and
achieves this by augmenting the improve the rate of muscle
soldier with a pair of powered wear, its hard not to see
titanium legs and a computer- the future of frontline
controlled exoskeleton with a combat becoming reliant
built-in power supply. This on these mech warriors.

The Prosthesis Anti-Robot is THE ULTIMATE PROSTHESIS
an impressive extension of
the user’s movements

The Prosthesis Anti-Robot is a directly correlate to those of the
towering machine operated purely machine and when the force on
by human body movements. If that them increases, the limbs get harder
doesn’t impress you, how do you feel to move. A suspension system also
knowing the Anti-Robot weighs over helps the pilot feel when the bot’s
3,400 kilograms (7,500 pounds) and feet connect with the ground.
is 4.6 metres (15 feet) tall?
The Anti-Robot clearly highlights
The pilot can move such a huge the possibilities of exoskeletons,
machine by their own efforts thanks with human strength and speed not
to an interface that attaches to their only dramatically increased but also
arms and legs and translates the transferred into a machine many
movements of their limbs into the times their size. It’s not hard to
robot’s four hydraulic legs. This, foresee construction workers suited
along with positional and force up and shifting huge crates with
feedback, means the pilot’s limbs ease in the near future.

The rise 1961 1968 1989 1993 2000

of the Jered Industries in General Electric MIT creates Honda unveils its first DARPA, the US Defense
Detroit creates the creates the first Advanced Research
mechs Beetle, a tracked mech cybernetic walking Ghengis, a small humanoid robot, the Projects Agency, requests
tank weighing 77 tons. machine, a piloted proposals for a powered
A timeline of real-life The pilot is shielded by mech with hydraulic robot insect capable P1, which can walk military exoskeleton. It
robotic tech steel plating. hands and feet. chooses the Sarcos XOS.
of scrambling over around on two feet while

rough terrain while tethered. It evolves into

remaining stable. the now-famous ASIMO.

172 WorldMags.net

THE
STATS

PROSTHESIS

5WmorldMags.netANTI-ROBOT
HEIGHT

3.3m

LENGTH

4.5m

STRIDE
LENGTH
4.9m MASS MAX
SPEED
WIDTH 3,400kg 30km/h

DID YOU KNOW? The Prosthesis Anti-Robot project is a 100 per cent volunteer-staffed project

SUIT UP! Walking Anatomy of the Ekso Bionic Suit
modes
The most advanced gait-training exoskeleton Check out the core components and features
currently in use, the Ekso Bionic Suit has been First steps of this revolutionary exoskeleton
specially designed to grant people with paralysis
a means of standing and walking. Once wearing A physical therapist Power plant Computer
the Bionic Suit, those who have suffered from controls the user’s
neurological conditions such as strokes, spinal steps with button The Bionic Suit is A central computer
cord damage or traumatic brain injury can pushes, with the wearer powered by a brace of system receives data
re-learn correct step patterns and weight shifts supporting themselves high-capacity lithium from the Bionic Suit’s
– things that able-bodied humans take for batteries that can 15 sensors to
granted – all the while supported by a system that with crutches. energise the exoskeleton fine-control the user’s
assists when needed and records every for up to four hours. leg movements.
movement for later analysis. Active steps
Motors
The Bionic Suit already has an shining record, In the second stage,
with every medically cleared user walking in the the user takes control Four electro-
suit in their first training session. Fitting the suit mechanical motors
takes just five minutes so doctors can treat of their limb drive movement at
multiple patients, with the suit simply affixed movements through the user’s hips and
over a user’s normal clothes. Considering that it button pushes on a set at each knee.
also offers multiple training modes, progressing of smart crutches.
its wearer from being unable to walk right
through to various motor levels, and that Ekso has Crutches Fixed assist
only been in operation since 2005, it’s easy to see
how the technology could transform lives. If needed, a set of Each of the exoskeleton’s
smart crutches can legs is fitted with a fixed
be used by the user assist system that can
to control their leg contribute a fixed
movements with amount of power to help
arm gestures. the user complete a step.

Pro steps Joints

In the most advanced The exoskeleton’s
stage, the exoskeleton mechanised joints are
moves the user’s hips designed to allow the
forward, shifting them user to bend their limbs
laterally into the correct as naturally as possible.

walking position.

Pegs Adaptive assist

Heel pegs help secure Depending on the
the wearer’s feet and strength and capability
ensure they don’t of the user, the Bionic
stumble while training Suit can be adjusted to
on uneven ground. produce various smooth
and natural gaits.

2004 2006 2009 2011 2013

TMSUK and Kyoto Japanese machinery and Lockheed Martin Rex Bionics launches the Honda begins US trials of
University reveal the robotics manufacturer reveals its Human Rex exoskeleton, a device its Walking Assist Device
T-52 Enryu, one of the Sakakibara-Kikai produces the Universal Load Carrier that consists of a pair of at the Rehabilitation
first rescue robots to first genuine bi-pedal mech. (HULC), an exoskeleton robotic legs that can help Institute of Chicago. The
be used by Japanese The machine measures a huge purpose-built to be people with paraplegia to product aims to help
emergency services. 3.4m (11.2ft) tall. worn by US soldiers. stand and walk. stroke patients walk again.

WorldMags.net 173

BIOTEWCHorldMags.net

Exo-suits

Real-life BATTLEMECH POWER
spidey sense
On the most extreme side of the mech
Ever thought it would be cool to revolution sits Sakakibara-Kikai’s Land Walker,
have the ‘spidey sense’ of a 3.4-metre (11.2-foot) tall, 1,000-kilogram
Spider-Man in real life? Well, now (2,200-pound) bipedal exoskeleton. Designed
you can, thanks to a neat research to replicate the battle mechs of popular
project undertaken by the science fiction, such as the AT-STs of the
University of Illinois. SpiderSense is Star Wars films, the Land Walker is the
a wearable device that, by world’s first machine of its kind, capable of
manipulating the some of the moving around on two feet, thunderously
millions of sensory receptors plodding around under the command of its
located on human skin, can relay human pilot. The Land Walker is powered by a
information about the wearer’s 250cc four-stroke engine, can walk around at 1.5
environment to them. This clever kilometres (0.93 miles) per hour and is
tech means that despite being equipped with an auto-cannon capable of firing
blindfolded, the user would know squishy rubber balls. Unfortunately, the Land
exactly where they were in relation Walker currently retails for £210,000 ($345,000),
to moving objects. so it might be some time before you can stomp
to work in one.
The system works thanks to the
SpiderSense’s wearable tactile While the Land Walker’s current
display, which consists of a series performance arguably leaves a lot to be
of sensor modules affixed to the desired, with more development funding, a
user’s arms and legs. As the user machine such as this could easily become
moves about a room, distance the future of law enforcement, with its
information regarding its objects intimidating physical presence and – if
are relayed to the user through the armed correctly – damage-dealing
pads via increases or decreases in capabilities more than a match for any
pressure, with the skin’s receptors civilian vehicle.
relaying that information to the
brain. The sensor modules scan the The Land Walker is
environment using ultrasound, still a novelty device
repeatedly sweeping an but has great
environment for objects and future potential
barriers in the way.

In terms of applications,
technology like SpiderSense could
be used to compensate for a
dysfunctional or missing sense,
such as visual impairment, or to
augment someone’s fully
functional senses.

174 WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

DID YOU KNOW? A real, life-size Gundam mech statue has been built in Tokyo, Japan

ROBOTIC RESCUE DRAGON withstanding conditions a human The machine specialises in The best of
never could. lifting large and heavy objects, the rest
A large-scale, human-controlled meaning that it can easily help free
robot for use in disaster sites, the The mech was built by the people trapped in earthquake- 1Kuratas
T-52 Enryu (which translates as Japanese company TMSUK in generated building collapses. The ultimate
‘T-52 Rescue Dragon’) is one heck partnership with Kyoto University While the Rescue Dragon is still in executive toy, the
and Japan’s National Research its development phase, it has Kuratas mech allows its
of a piece of kit. At 3.45 metres Institute of Fire and Disaster for already passed a number of owner to ride around in
(11.3 feet) tall and 2.4 metres (7.9 undertaking heavy-duty work in operational tests and was recently its futuristic cockpit while
feet) wide, it’s packed with disaster areas. The T-52 can either deployed to help clear up the firing 6,000 BB rounds per
seven 6.8-megapixel CCD cameras be operated from its armoured Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant minute from its dual,
and the ability to lift objects cockpit or remotely from a control disaster of 2011, patrolling the site arm-mounted Gatling guns.
weighing up to one ton with its station, with the pilot receiving and removing large pieces of
hydraulic arms. The T-52 is contextual information via a series radioactive rubble. 2Cybernetic
arguably the most advanced of LCD displays. Anthropomorphous
disaster-relief mech in service, Machine
infiltrating hazardous areas and
One of the first mechs ever
Fat boy Cockpit control built, the CAM was designed
and built for the US Army in
3.45m (11.3ft) high and It has a central, armoured 1966 to move cargo and
2.4m (7.9ft) wide, the cockpit from which a weapons across battlefields.
T-52 is a beast of a human pilot can control
machine, weighing over the mech if conditions 3Sarcos XOS 2
five tons. are safe enough. An exoskeleton that
grants its wearer
Power plant Weight lifter superhuman strength, the © Rex; Getty; Peters & Zabransky; Lockheed Martin; Lance Long/UIC
XOS 2 is currently being Electronic Visualization Laboratory; SpiderSense
The T-52 is powered by a Each of the T-52’s large trialled by the US Army, with
large diesel engine, hydraulic arms has eight a finished untethered variant
which supplies juice for joints and can carry 500kg set to enter service in 2020.
crawler movement as (1,100lb), or one ton using
well as operating each both arms together. 4Body Weight Support
of its moving parts. Assist
Maximum joy
Sand crawler Honda’s Body Weight
When remotely Support Assist from is a
The five-ton T-52 moves on a controlled, the T-52 is partial exoskeleton
set of crawlers, which can operated with a joystick, that, once worn, helps
propel the mech at a maximum with inputs to support the user’s upper
speed of 3km/h (1.9mph). communicated to the body, taking some of its
mech via wireless LAN weight off their legs.
and PHS.
5Raytheon Heavy
Lifter

Designed to move large
crates, containers and
objects, the Heavy Lifter
offers its user a high degree of
freedom and agility.

6Kid’s Walker
The Land Walker’s baby
brother, the Kid’s Walker –
which costs about £12,000
($20,000) – is designed to
allow children to pilot their
own toy mech while
remaining safe.

WorldMags.net 175

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BOOK OF

Vol.3

GADGETS & FUTURE TECH STRANGE What did the first wearable Answer: Bionic
BUT TRUE computer look like? In the 17th century, the Chinese Qing humans
Wearable tech dynasty created a tiny (1cm by 0.5cm /
ADD IT UP A An abacus on a ring B A digital wristwatch 0.4in by 0.2in) but fully functioning silver
Apple C A brilliant Hallowe’en costume abacus on a ring. The computer could be
Watch used to count and make calculations while
it was being worn.
+10AMAZING NEXT-GEN
WEARABLE GADGETS DID YOU KNOW? Wearable tech was the most tweeted-about topic at CES 2014, ahead of 3D printing and the Internet of Things

Retina HD 010 Christy Turlington Burns Today, the gadgets we carry are
displays tries the Apple Watch with becoming less an extension of
ourselves, and more and more a part
2013 1.8 Apple’s CEO Tim Cook of us. “Wearables” are electronic or computing
2.9 devices that are worn on the body –
2014 3.3 Global shipments of performing functions like tracking, biosensing
wearable tech and mobile communications – and we’re about
2015 to see a lot more of them.
[estimate] [in millions] The ultimate aim of all wearables is to
Smartwatches Q provide portable, seamless and mostly
hands-free access to ‘life-enhancing’
Wristbands Q functions. To date, by far the most successful
18 wearables have been fitness trackers that
record things like physical activity, heart rate
27 and sleep quality, but many analysts believe
36 we’re on the cusp of a wearables revolution.
That revolution was undoubtedly spurred on
by the launch of one of the most talked-about
wearable devices of all time: the Apple Watch.
Achieving commercial release in April 2015, it
was the subject of much rumour, speculation,
hype and even prayers for at least five years. So
what has the must-have gadget of the decade
brought to the table?
The Watch was created as a companion
device to the iPhone, which means you can
make calls, send messages and surf the web
right from your wrist once the two devices are
paired. It also comes with a slew of sensors to
monitor your fitness, and is able to authorise
Apple Pay transactions when in contact with
its PIN-verified owner’s fingerprint. Interaction
with the device feels new too – thanks to a
Digital Crown dial used to navigate the
touchscreen without obscuring it, and a haptic
feedback engine that can literally tap you on
the wrist.
It’s not all good news for wearables, though.
Arguably as eagerly anticipated as the Apple
Watch was the face-worn optical display
Google Glass. Despite prototypes being trialled
by early adopters and developers over the last
couple of years, it failed to gain traction and, as
of 19 January 2015, is on hiatus.
Wearables are pressing ever onward,
though. Look out for devices becoming less
bulky, less obvious and even implantable.
Celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil – who
correctly predicted Wi-Fi and voice commands
– reckons that within five years, we’ll wear
glasses that can beam images direct onto our
retinas. He also predicts that by 2045 we’ll be
able to multiply our intelligence by a factor of a
billion by wirelessly linking our brains’
neocortexes to the Cloud. Talk about mind-
blowing stuff!

011

GADGETS & FUTURE TECH ENTERTAINMENT

James Bond might be fiction, but advanced gadgets The most sophisticated technology can be found
and futuristic inventions are already a reality. Find out in everyday items at home, including smartphones,
just how personal some can be, and how soon you game consoles and virtual reality, and even the
might be using them at home standard electric guitar

The uses of
robots

ENGINEERING BIOTECH

Learn all about the technology that goes into building From surgical robots to exo suits that can assist
humanity’s most impressive creations, from elevated mobility, discover the technology that extends our
bridges and underwater buildings to the dizzying biological functions and takes humanity
heights of the Empire State Building even further into the future

UAVs
explained

Biometric
fingerprinting

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