A team of leading robotic have successfully revealed their astonishing creation
for a new Channel
4 documentary, How To Build A Bionic Man which will go on display at
London's Science Museum this week. They have, actually, fulfilled their
dream of 40 years which was set aflamed by 1970s TV series the Six
Million Dollar Man .
Rex is just like a real bionic man - complete with artificial organs, synthetic
blood and robot limbs
goes which incorporates some of the latest advances in prosthetic
technology, as well as an artificial pancreas, kidney, spleen and
trachea, and a functional blood circulatory system.
However, the
6ft 6in (2m) humanoid is almost £640,000 cheaper than the original
'bionic man' from the cult 1970s TV series the Six Million Dollar Man.
Known as Rex – short for robotic exoskeleton – his hi-tech frame is made
up of an array of artificial limbs and organs from around the world.
The Science Museum exhibit opening on Thursday will explore changing
perceptions of human
identity against the background of rapid progress in bionics. In the
documentary, to be screened at 9pm on Thursday, experts at the forefront
of the research talk to Swiss social psychologist Bertolt Meyer.
Mr
Meyer was born without a left hand and has a £30,000 bionic replacement
with the ability to grip and twist. But although his hand is the most
advanced on the market, it could soon be obsolete. In the programme
Meyer tries out the much more advanced modular prosthetic limb (MPL),
which teaches itself how to recognise tiny control signals from the
upper arm.
He also meets teams of British scientists who are restoring sight to the blind
by implanting microchips in their retinas, and building artificial organs to replace failing lungs, kidneys, pancreases and spleens.
'I've
looked around for new bionic technologies, out of personal interest,
for a very long time and I think that until five or six years ago
nothing much was happening,' said Mr Meyer.
'Then suddenly we are now at a point where we can build a body that is great and beautiful in its own special way.'
David
Glover, senior commissioning editor for Channel 4 Factual, said:
'Following Bertolt Meyer, who has a bionic arm himself, as he
investigates the reality of building a bionic human takes this
brilliantly made documentary into new territory. If what scientists can
do now is jaw-dropping, the future is mind-boggling.'
The project is supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award which aims to help the public explore biomedical science.
Clare
Matterson, director of medical humanities and engagement at the
charity, said, quoting from the introduction to the One Million Dollar
Man: 'Throughout history people have always sought to enhance themselves
to overcome disabilities or to become 'bigger, better, stronger and
faster'.
'Science is making aspirations and even fantasy ever more
possible. We only have to look back at last summer's Paralympics to see
how transforming technology has become.
'Whilst exploring the
latest medical developments, How To Build A Bionic Man hints at the
implications these advances may raise for mankind in the future.'