Technabob » tentacle

Artificial Tentacle Arm Concept: Prosthentacle

Lambert Varias — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:59:47 +0000

You’d think that people who lost their arms would want a prosthetic that looked and worked much like real arms and hands do. However, University of Washington graduate Kaylene Kau found out that people with prosthetic arms tended to use their remaining flesh and bones hand as the dominant functioning hand, with the prosthetic arm used as a support. So she designed a prosthetic tentacle. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either, but on (as?) the other hand it looks insanely cool:

The arm’s shape and structure would make it a very good gripping and holding arm. I’m not sure why Kau didn’t imagine one that’s connected to the nervous system though – the tentacle arm is operated by two buttons found near the elbow portion of the arm.

Kau is right in thinking that a tentacle-shaped arm would be flexible and can grip materials of various shapes and sizes, but in my opinion it’s still inferior to the human hand. The lack of a flat surface and other fingers means the tentacle has to be quite strong and sturdy for when the user needs to put his weight on it, like when climbing or pushing.

It’s also a simple case of incompatibility – a lot of objects require fingers to interact with, like keyboards or gaming controllers. Then again, if I was wearing this prosthetic arm, I’d just warn my friends that if they beat me at gaming, I could easily stab them in the chest, wrap my tentacle around their still beating heart, and then pop it into my mouth for sustenance. I may also do the same if I win.

[via Coroflot via Asylum]

Cutie Cthulhu for Cool Cult Kiddies

Alisha K. — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:45:05 +0000

Some babies are just hipper than others. You can tell by their expensive t-shirts and awesome accessories. It’s not any baby who can rock a cushy Cthulhu play blanket, you know?

Craftster FicklePegasus has turned an office joke into a handmade gift fit for only the coolest of babies: a soft and cuddly Cthulhu, complete with tentacular arms of love that can hold toys to engage tykes. The intended baby hasn’t even arrived yet and already he has cooler stuff than I do.

FicklePegasus looked at existing Cthulhu crafts and drew inspiration from several patterns for the final product. Here’s guessing it’ll be the most unique gift that kid receives over the next ten years. It’s all downhill from here, kiddo.

[Cthulhu blanket via Geek Crafts]

Papercraft Xmas Tree is a Colorful Fire Hazard

Alisha K. — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:53:36 +0000

There’s just something about most holiday decorations that screams fire hazard, but this one really takes that idea and runs with it. This Christmas tree, by deviantARTist Maire, is done up almost completely in papercraft. The few lone traditional ornaments look awfully forlorn (and seriously outnumbered).

The decorations are a real mix, from gaming icons like Mario, Link, and Mega Man, to upstarts like the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal, and they’re all made out of paper (and the sweat of effort). It’s enough to make one wary of the candy canes. Paper is not so delicious, after all.

For those brave enough to try to recreate this tree, or do a mix of your own ornaments, a number of the instructions are available on Maire’s page, and others on the cubeecraft site. Now we just need to add some of these papercraft consoles.

[Maire's deviantART page via cubeelog]