These prosthetics break the mildew with third thumbs, spikes, and superhero skins
Historically, prosthetics designers have appeared to the human physique for inspiration. Prosthetics have been seen as replacements for lacking physique elements; hyper-realistic bionic legs and arms have been the holy grail.
However we’re now witnessing a motion in different prosthetics, a type of assistive tech that bucks conference by making no try and mix in. As a substitute of creating gadgets that mimic the looks of a “regular” arm or leg, a brand new wave of designers are creating fantastical prosthetics that may wriggle like a tentacle, mild up, and even shoot glitter. Learn the total story.
—Joanna Thompson
Joanna’s story is from the newest print situation of MIT Expertise Overview, which is all about design. Join a subscription to learn the total factor when it comes out later this month.
We don’t must panic a few fowl flu pandemic—but
How frightened ought to we be about fowl flu? Some have warned that avian flu would be the subsequent lethal pandemic. Others have stated the danger isn’t any totally different from what it was a couple of years in the past.
There’s no denying that outbreaks of the virus have had a huge effect on birds in latest months, and that the present outbreak is considerably worse than what we’ve seen up to now. However though we’ve seen a small variety of instances in individuals, there’s no proof to counsel it poses a much bigger menace to people now than up to now. Learn the total story.