Alas, no new episode of The Bionic Woman tonight. Instead, let's ponder who would win a bionic arm wrestling match between Jaime Sommers and Airic's Arm. The challenger is a robotic limb created by German company Festo, which incorporates 30 "fluidic muscles" operated by compressed air and supported by a computer-designed bone structure mimicking that of the human arm. Airic's Arm has "immense starting power" and once it's lifted a weight, it can hold said object in place indefinitely. Festo plans a further line of bionic body parts including hips, backs, and necks (my least favorite chicken parts, by the way) with integrated "cameras and tactile perception" for a more sensuous bionic experience.

Festo's Bionic Arm [The Future of Things]

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