Development of a bone-fixation prosthetic attachment

An artificial limb attached directly to the bone by a quick-disconnect coupling was tested in-place at a California medical rehabilitation center. Its design concept and development, made possible by multiple spinoffs of aerospace technology, are discussed

Illumination control apparatus for compensating solar light

An illumination control apparatus is presented for supplementing light from solar radiation with light from an artificial light source to compensate for periods of insufficient levels of solar light. The apparatus maintains a desired illumination level within an interior space comprising an artificial light source connected to an electrical power source with a switch means for selectively energizing said light source. An actuator means for controlling the on-off operation of the switch means is connected to a light sensor which responses to the illumination level of the interior space. A limit switch carried adjacent to the actuator limits the movement of the actuator within a predetermined range so as to prevent further movement thereof during detection of erroneous illumination conditions

Artificial limb connection

Connection simplifies and eases donning and removing artificial limb; eliminates harnesses and clamps; and reduces skin pressures by allowing bone to carry all tensile and part of compressive loads between prosthesis and stump. Because connection is modular, it is easily modified to suit individual needs

Ocean thermal plant

A floating energy converter is described which uses large volumes of sea water to produce electrical power. In this plant, a fluid working medium is pumped to an evaporator where is is heated by a flow of warm surface sea water. The fluid in liquid form boils to a pressurized gas vapor which is routed to drive a turbine that, in turn, drives a generator for producing electricity. The gas vapor then enters a condenser immersed in cold sea water pumped from lower depths, condenses to its original liquid form, and then pumped to the evaporator to repeat the cycle. Modular components can be readily interchanged on the ocean thermal unit and inlet pipes for the sea water are provided with means for maintaining the pipes in alignment with the oncoming current. The modular construction allows for the testing of various components to provide a more rapid optimization of a standardized plant

Magnetic electrical connectors for biomedical percutaneous implants

A biomedical percutaneous connector is described which includes a socket having an enlarged disk shaped base portion for being implanted below the patient's skin and cylindrical portion which is integral with the base portion and extends outwardly of the skin. A conical recess in an upper end of the cylindrical portion has a magnet located in the base. Inclined conductive strips are carried on an upper end of the cylindrical portion to which electrical conductors are attached and extend into the patient's body. A complementary shaped plug which also has electrical contacts provided thereon is adapted to fit within the conical recess of the socket. The plug is held in the socket by magnetic force

Rotational joint assembly for the prosthetic leg

A rotational joint assembly for a prosthetic leg has been devised, which enables an artificial foot to rotate slightly when a person is walking, running or turning. The prosthetic leg includes upper and lower tubular members with the rotational joint assembly interposed between them. The assembly includes a restrainer mechanism which consists of a pivotably mounted paddle element. This device applies limiting force to control the rotation of the foot and also restores torque to return the foot back to its initial position

Evolutionary ecology of opsin gene sequence, expression and repertoire.

Linking molecular evolution to biological function is a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. Some of the best examples of this involve opsins, the genes that encode the molecular basis of light reception. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, three studies examine opsin gene sequence, expression and repertoire to determine how natural selection has shaped the visual system. First, Escobar-Camacho et al. () use opsin repertoire and expression in three Amazonian cichlid species to show that a shift in sensitivity towards longer wavelengths is coincident with the long-wavelength-dominated Amazon basin. Second, Stieb et al. () explore opsin sequence and expression in reef-dwelling damselfish and find that UV- and long-wavelength vision are both important, but likely for different ecological functions. Lastly, Suvorov et al. () study an expansive opsin repertoire in the insect order Odonata and find evidence that copy number expansion is consistent with the permanent heterozygote model of gene duplication. Together these studies emphasize the utility of opsin genes for studying both the local adaptation of sensory systems and, more generally, gene family evolution

Adaption of evolutionary programming to the prediction of solar flares

Adapting evolutionary programming to prediction of solar flare

Prosthesis coupling

A coupling for use in an apparatus for connecting a prosthesis to the bone of a stump of an amputated limb is described which permits a bio-compatible carbon sleeve forming a part of the prosthesis connector to float so as to prevent disturbing the skin seal around the carbon sleeve. The coupling includes a flexible member interposed between a socket that is inserted within an intermedullary cavity of the bone and the sleeve. A lock pin is carried by the prosthesis and has a stem portion which is adapted to be coaxially disposed and slideably within the tubular female socket for securing the prosthesis to the stump. The skin around the percutaneous carbon sleeve is able to move as a result of the flexing coupling so as to reduce stresses caused by changes in the stump shape and/or movement between the bone and the flesh portion of the stump

Toward autonomous spacecraft

Ways in which autonomous behavior of spacecraft can be extended to treat situations wherein a closed loop control by a human may not be appropriate or even possible are explored. Predictive models that minimize mean least squared error and arbitrary cost functions are discussed. A methodology for extracting cyclic components for an arbitrary environment with respect to usual and arbitrary criteria is developed. An approach to prediction and control based on evolutionary programming is outlined. A computer program capable of predicting time series is presented. A design of a control system for a robotic dense with partially unknown physical properties is presented