Robot exo-skeleton experimentation

A man paralysed from the shoulders down has been able to walk using a robotic exoskeleton controlled by his brain.

The 28-year-old patient used a system of sensors implanted near his brain to send messages to move all four of his paralysed limbs after a two-year-long trial of the whole-body exoskeleton. The system translated the brain signals into the movements the patient thought about, and sent his commands to the exoskeleton.

The results, published in The Lancet Neurology journal on, bring doctors a step closer to one day being able to help paralysed patients drive computers using brain signals alone, according to researchers who led the work. But for now, the exoskeleton is purely an experimental prototype and is “far from clinical application,” they added.

Previous brain-computer technologies have used invasive sensors implanted in the brain, where they can be more dangerous and often stop working.

Ethiopian crown to return home

A priceless 18th-century Ethiopian crown is set to be returned from the Netherlands to Addis Ababa, after a one-time refugee found it in a suitcase and hid it in his apartment for two decades.

The ornate gilded copper headgear, featuring images of Christ and the Twelve Apostles, was unearthed after refugee-turned-Dutch-citizen Sirak Asfaw contacted Dutch ‘art detective’ Arthur Brand.

Experts say it belongs to a series of some of Ethiopia’s most important cultural artefacts. Due to several different reasons, Sirak kept the artefact in his possession and waited for the right time. For 21 years the crown was hidden in his apartment as Ethiopia continued to be ruled by an iron-fisted one-party government.

Sirak said, however, that when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office last year, he felt that things had changed sufficiently in Ethiopia to finally give the crown back.

3D printer makes meat in space

We all know astronauts have special packed food to eat in space, but never has freshly cooked food been on their menu. However, recently a successful experiment used a 3D printer to create meat on the International Space Station.

The bioprinter produced beef, rabbit and fish tissue using magnetic fields in microgravity, a Russian medical technology company involved in the experiment said.

The experiment — an international collaboration involving three companies — was carried out in September by cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka in the station’s Russian segment using a 3D printer developed in Moscow. The creators say it is the first to create a small amount of artificial meat in conditions of weightlessness.

“It’s one small nibble for man, one giant bite for mankind,” said Yusef Khesuani of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, the Russian laboratory that created the bioprinter.

Astronauts eat meat on board that is vacuum-packed or dried on Earth, but this technology could ultimately be necessary for long voyages into deep space, said veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko.

Turtle dies of plastic in stomach

Gumbo Limbo Nature Centre this week posted the heart-breaking tale of a small turtle, which is one of many to wash up on the coastline needing help.

“Not such a happy turtle this week,” said the centre-based in Florida.

“It’s washback season at Gumbo Limbo (which is when young sea turtles wash ashore). Unfortunately, not every washback survives. Hundred percent of our washbacks that didn’t make it had plastic in their intestinal tracts. This turtle, which would fit in the palm of your hand, had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. This is a sad reminder that we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic free.”

People replying to the post expressed their sadness, but thanked the centre for its valuable work.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 19th, 2019