Spiderman’s arch nemesis, Dr. Octopus, has been a pain in his side for many a storyline arc, where the once good doctor has been driven mad by super strong mechanical arms that have bonded to him on a cellular level, allowing Dr. Octopus to use them as an extension of his own body. Well, truth can be stranger than fiction at times, and it seems as though one can “become” Dr. Octopus by strapping a robotic arm system as though one is putting on a backpack, allowing them to help you out in your daily tasks.
Known as Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRLs), these will be different from the usual prosthetic robotic arms. Instead, the SRLs are flexible enough to come over your shoulders, as well as extend from around your waist in order to provide relevant assistance as and when required. Perhaps you want to hook something up to your ceiling, but are simply unable to balance yourself while keeping a nail in place as you attempt to hammer it in – this is where the SRLs could come in handy, holding said object for you as your hands perform the hammering action.
The SRLs are no dummies, as it comprises of a system of gyros and accelerometers which are attached to your wrists, enabling the system to figure out what your hands are about to get busy with. This allows the robotic arms to figure out just when you need help, ranging from toting around a heavy object to picking something up.
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