IBM Patents Bionic Armor That Gives Humans Ability To Dodge Bullets

NOTE: A search for this patent says: United States Patent: 7484451: Withdrawn!

IBM has filed for a patent on technology that heightens our reflexes so that we could, theoretically, dodge bullets like Neo in The Matrix.

This "Bionic Body Armor" would continuously scan the area for incoming projectiles. If one is detected, the system would deliver a shock to the muscles causing a swift, reflexive action away from the bullet.

"The present invention relates generally to the protection of an individual against a projectile propelled from a firearm. More particularly, the present invention relates to a body armor system and its method of use that is capable of detecting a projectile propelled from a firearm, computing the trajectory of the projectile, and moving the individual out of the path of the projectile to avoid being hit."Source

Robotic Prostheses For Human Faces

The design of prosthetic limbs has taken huge strides in recent years – But internal prosthetics, like those used to reconstruct injured faces, have yet to incorporate such advanced features, and still tend to be awkward and unrealistic.

Surgeons Craig Senders and Travis Tollefson of the University of California, Davis, plan to change that by using artificial polymer muscles to reanimate the facial features of people suffering from severe paralysis.

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Artificial muscles

Artificial muscles are plastics that change shape and size under electrical stimulation. Because they are plastics—that is, polymers—they are light and can be cheap, pliable, quiet, and shatterproof. Also, they can be designed for particular properties, filled with sensors and other components, shaped for specific actuators, and manufactured on scales both macro and micro. Unlike most active materials, such as semiconductors and shape-memory alloys, however, these electroactive polymers work according to a variety of principles, offering different tradeoffs of power, extensibility, reaction time, and other qualities.

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