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This post was written by Jaymi Heimbuch for PlanetGreen.com New technologies are helping close the gaps for those with physical disabilities. Each day, the physical capabilities that technology gives us is

incredible, and we’re not just talking about texting friends at

lightening pace, or the ability to see our energy consumption in real

time. We’re talking about the abilities given to us by new tech in the

health industry, either to supplement or restore disabilities

experienced by people across the globe. Technology is giving us wonderful options for those of us with

physical limitations. From the blind to the deaf, from amputees to burn

victims, gadgets are creating a whole new realm of abilities. Here are eight extraordinary technologies that hold promise for an easier life. 1. The Eyewriter

The Eyewriter is an outstanding invention

for people unable to use their limbs. It is a set of glasses that can

detect where a person’s eyes are looking, allow them to literally draw

with their eyes. Created for people diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis (ALS), the designers’ goal for the Eyewriter project

is to develop the most simple and inexpensive eye-tracking headset

possible and open source the software so that ALS patients around the

world can create art and images on their own. 2. The Luke Arm

Named as a Star Wars head nod to Luke Skywalker, the Luke arm is one of

the most advanced prosthetic arms ever created. DARPA, the Defense

Advanced Research Projects Agency, awarded $18 million in funding to

Dean Kamen in 2005 to bring prosthetics into the 21st century, and boy

did he. The Luke Arm is the first bionic upper limb to provide 18

degrees of freedom, a step up from its ancestors that only offer 3

degrees of freedom. It can be controlled by wiring the device to

muscles or nerves, or with a foot pedal. It even has a tactile feedback

sensor in the hand allowing the wearer to sense what kind of pressure

they’re putting into their grip. Here is a video of Kamen showing off

the arm earlier this year.

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3. A Dozen Different Legs

For amputees who have lost their legs, simply finding a prosthetic leg

that allows them to move comfortably and freely can be a challenge. But

what if you want to run in a marathon, or have legs that look natural

for a formal event? Athlete, fashion model and activist Aimee Mullins

has helped bring the possibilities for amputees to new heights. She

shows how prosthetic leg design can transform the body into everything

from a work of art to a super athlete, or simply help a person easily

blend in to a social scene. Here is Aimee during a TED talk on the

possibilities held within designing high tech prosthesis. 4. Solar Powered Hearing Aids

Hearing aids are helpful for the hard of hearing but they’re very

expensive, especially when it comes to the batteries. For people with

little money to spare or limited access to replacement batteries,

hearing aids are impractical. That’s why Howard Weinstein created the Solar Ear,

a $100 hearing aid with a solar powered battery that lasts as long as

three years. Weinstein is hoping to chip away at the gap between the

600 million people who have hearing loss and the mere 8 million people

who can afford a hearing aid. On top of providing the gift of sound to those who might otherwise

go without assistance, the Solar Ear project extends help far into the

deaf community through employment opportunities. All of the employees

working on Solar Ear devices are deaf. The project is currently in Brazil, Botswana, West Bank Palestine, and will expand to Mexico, China, India, Canada during 2010. 5. Regrowing Stereocilia – The Hairs that Help You Hear

Stereocilia, or the tiny hairs inside our ears, are an integral part of

the hearing system. But overexposure to noise – such as experienced in

music concerts or blasting tunes from an iPod – can permanently damage

them, degrading a person’s hearing over time. Researchers at Stanford,

however, have hit a breakthrough in growing hair-like cells that

function just like those in our ears. This could mean solutions for

damaged hearing.

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The research is still about a decade away from offering a solution

that can be used in humans, but the potential is there for helping to

restore hearing to those with noise-induced hearing loss. 6. Liquid-Filled Eye Glasses

Sometimes low tech is far more effective than elaborate gadgets. Such

is the case with Josh Silver’s eyeglasses that adjust to the wearer’s

correct prescription simply with liquid. More or less liquid is added

to the lens until the prescription is just right for the wearer. The

inexpensive glasses address an important need of more than one billion

people in developing nations worldwide who lack access to eyecare. Here

is Josh Silver demonstrating how the glasses work and the impact they

can have on people, from improving their productivity to their quality

of life. 7. Printing New Skin Directly onto Wounds

Skin is an organ that protects our bodies from infection, and for burn

victims, it’s the loss of that protective barrier that is the biggest

threat. Skin grafts – surgically moving healthy skin from one part of

the body to the burned area – is one way of aiding recovery. But what

if new skin could be created in an instant, sprayed on like a printer

sprays ink onto a paper? Turns out, we can do that. Researchers at Wake Forest University have created a device that can

spray new skin cells onto burn victims, supplanting skin grafts as the

standard treatment. The device can be wheeled directly over a patient

in a hospital bed, where a laser takes a reading of the wound’s shape

and size, and the precise amount of skin cells is applied exactly where

they’re needed. “We literally print the cells directly onto the wound,” said student

Kyle Binder, who helped design the device. “We can put specific cells

where they need to go.”

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The device still needs to undergo testing by the FDA for approved use on humans, but it has proven to be effective on mice. 8. Wheel Chairs Powered by Fuel Cells and Solar Panels

Wheelchair technology has come a long way for getting people around.

Ensuring they have a charge from a sustainable source of energy is part

of that improvement. Over the last few years, we’ve seen Fuel Cell (Hydrogen-Powered) Wheelchairs and Solar Powered Wheelchairs

pop up as more environmentally friendly ways of charging up the chairs.

While they’re not the most streamlined of chairs, using off-grid

charging is a big plus and we’re certain that in the next few years,

we’ll see even more innovative and less bulky ways of incorporating

alternative energy into mobility. For More from Planet Green

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