Inventing Iron Man (33 page)

neural plasticity/neuroplasticity,
90
,
96
,
109
,
170

Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit (NTU-150) armor: brain-machine interface and,
61–62
,
63
,
64

depictions of,
7
,
46

description of,
11–13

sensation feeding back into,
62

neuromuscular junction,
24

neuronal recordings,
111–12

neuron doctrine,
150

neurons: in brain,
48
,
51
,
52

central pattern generators,
90–91

electrical stimulation of,
55–56

membrane potential,
20–21

motor,
21
,
23
,
23–24
,
176–77

as tuned to movement directions,
103

upper motor,
54
,
56

neuropathy from alcoholism,
117

neuroprosthetics: bionic glove,
42

cochlear,
42
,
173
,
174
,
176

definition of,
38

general principles for,
38–39

HAL robot suit,
43
,
144–47
,
145
,
146

i-LIMB hand,
43
,
44
,
45

immune response to,
174
,
175

improvements in,
105

optical,
62
,
63
,
64

Pro-Digits,
44
,
45

types of,
42

WalkAide,
40–42
,
42
. See also
prosthetics

neurorobotics,
87–88
,
89
,
90

NeuroSky,
58

neurotransmitters and alcohol,
116–17

“neuro-web life support system,”
12

New Avengers: Illuminati comic miniseries (2007),
164

Newton, Isaac,
132

Newtsuit,
141–42
,
143

Nichols, David C.,
123

NMDA receptors,
116–17

Noble-Haeusslein, Linda,
171

NTU-150 armor.
See
Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit armor

nucleus,
23

Nuytten, Phil,
134
,
141–42
,
143

Nyctalope (cyborg),
5

occipital cortex,
167
,
168

occipital lobe,
49

O'Neil, Dennis,
119
,
120

open loop control,
62

optical neuroprosthesis,
62
,
63
,
64

Ossur Flex-Foot Cheetah prosthetic,
29
,
30

Palmiero-Winters, Amy,
36

paradigm shifts,
149

parietal lobe,
49

Parkinson's disease,
62

patent law,
151–53

Penfield, Wilder,
52

perception of time, and attention,
75

performance and stress,
76–77
,
77

perturbations,
85

phantom limb and phantom pain syndromes,
98–99
,
100
,
101–2

The Physics of Superheroes
(Kakalios),
xiv

physiological adaptation to stress, effects of on body,
82

pilots: multitasking by,
73
,
75–79

training of,
163

Pistorius, Oscar,
29
,
30
,
31
,
33

Planck, Max,
149

planning of movement,
54–56
,
57
,
58

Poincaré, Henri,
150

post-concussion syndrome,
170

potassium,
20

Potts, Pepper (character),
110
,
152

powered devices, state of technology in,
26–27

Prehensor,
142
,
143

premotor area of brain,
55

pressure waves from explosions,
124
,
125
,
171–72

Prochazka, Arthur,
42

Pro-Digits,
44
,
45

Project Cyborg,
38

prosthetic motor memory,
105

prosthetics: changes in BCI with use of,
102–3
,
104
,
105

early examples of,
27
,
28

embodiment and,
106–7
,
107

including sensation from,
107–8

performance enhancement due to,
33
,
35–36

of Pistorius,
29
,
30
,
31
,
33
.
See also
neuroprosthetics

protection, use of armor for,
123–24
,
125
,
126
,
171

proteins in muscle fibers,
24

Quesada, Joe,
ix

Ramachandran, Vilayanur,
99

reactive gliosis,
174
,
175

recruitment,
24

Red Barbarian,
156

Reed, Brian,
164

Reeve, Christopher,
58–59

rehabilitation: potential for use of brain-machine interface in,
158

robots for,
86–88
,
89
,
90

robot suit for,
144–47
,
145
,
146

of walking,
90–91

reinnervation,
97–98
,
177

Reissig, Chad,
122

remote control armor system,
12–13

retraining of body,
87–88
,
89
,
90–91

ReWalk device,
87
,
162

Rhodes, Jim “War Machine” (character): armor given to Air Force by,
152

battle with,
116

first use of armor,
78–79
,
156–57

in
Iron Man
movie,
163

in
Iron Man 2
movie,
130

on jacking into satellite,
96

on “Masters of Silence,”
156

multitasking by,
74
,
74

practice using armor,
161–62

stimulants and,
122–23

risks of being Iron Man: to implants,
173–74
,
175
,
176

to nervous system,
176–78

overview of,
166

whiplash,
166–67
,
168
,
169–72

risks taken by inventors,
136
,
138

Ritenour, Amber,
124

robotic devices: direct connections between nervous system and,
45
,
46
,
47

HAL suit,
43
,
144–47
,
145

Prehensor,
142
,
143

robot Iron Man.
See
Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit (NTU-150) armor

Romita, John, Jr.,
119

Rose, Jacob,
73

Rossy, Yves,
134
,
135–36
,
137
,
138–41

Rourke, Mickey,
74

Rousseau, Craig,
155

rubber hand illusion,
106
,
107

“Runaround” (Asimov),
129–30

running,
31–33
,
32
,
34
,
35–36
.
See also
walking

sacral region of spine and spinal cord,
21
,
22

safeguards for control systems of armor,
129–30

Sankai, Yoshiyuki,
134
,
144–47

satellite, jacking into,
96

scientific advance and discovery,
147–51

Scientific Genius
(Simonton),
148
,
149
,
150

secondary impact syndrome,
170

Secret Invasion
(graphic novel),
129

senescence,
176–78

sensors on armor,
107

sensory adaptation,
94–95

sensory areas of brain,
52

sensory input in human flight,
139

sensory substitution,
101

shell shock syndrome,
124
,
126

Sherrington, Charles,
24

Shippam-Brett, Cynthia,
152

Simek, Art,
182

Simonton, Dean,
Scientific Genius
,
148
,
149
,
150

The Six Million Dollar Man
(TV series),
4

skeletal muscle,
17

Skrull,
129
,
164

skyflying,
135–36
,
137
,
138–41

slow twitch motor units,
25

sodium,
20

sodium channels in axons,
117

software, problems with,
129

Sohn, Clem,
138

somatosensory cortex,
95–96

somatosensory evoked potentials,
56

somatosensory maps: changes in,
97–98

description of,
95–96

phantom limb and phantom pain syndromes,
98–99
,
100
,
101–2

tools and devices and,
108–9

speech, attention demands of,
71–72

Spiderman,
115–16

spinal cord: action potentials,
54

in ALS,
56

description of,
21
,
22

injuries to,
58–59
,
88

neurons in,
48
,
90–91

sports and concussions,
166–67
,
169

sports biomechanics,
27

“spot checks” by police for intoxication,
118

springlike effect while walking and running,
31–33
,
34

sprouting,
177

Stableford, Brian,
5

Stane, Obidiah (character),
6
,
7
,
8
,
77
,
77

Stanslaski, S.,
62

Stark, Howard (Tony's father),
179

Stark, Tony (Anthony Edward, character): alcohol use and abuse by,
101–2
,
116
,
119–21
,
157

chest plate,
xiii
,
xiv
,
128

as genius inventor,
147–48
,
151
,
152

health crises of,
87

height and weight of,
17

Iron Man origin story,
xiii
,
14
,
126
,
182

as ladies' man,
8

nervous system degeneration,
101

on pilots,
163

reinvention of,
ix–x
.
See also
Iron Man; risks of being Iron Man

Star Trek: the Next Generation
(TV series),
64

steam pumps,
25

Stein, Richard,
41

stimulants, effects of on body,
121–23

Strayer, David,
74–75

strength training,
177

stress: effects of on body,
82

performance and,
76–77
,
77

stretch reflexes,
31
,
32

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
(Kuhn),
149

Suminski, Aaron,
107

superheroes: as superhuman,
120

viewed as “possible,”
154–55
.
See also specific characters

Superman,
115–16

supertaskers,
75

supplementary motor area of brain,
55

surfaces for walking or running,
32–33

Surrogates
(movie),
13

synaesthesia,
101

synapses,
23
,
24

Tales of Suspense: #39 (1963),
xii
,
8
,
9
,
91
,
128
,
182

#40 (1963),
xiii–xiv
,
9

#48 (1963),
9–10
,
182

Tarnak farm incident in Afghanistan,
122–23

Taylor, Charlotte,
50

telepresence armor.
See
Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit (NTU-150) armor

temporal lobe,
49

Terminator,
4

texting while driving,
72

therapeutic electrical stimulation,
39

thermoregulation,
81

thoracic region of spine and spinal cord,
21
,
22

Thorbuster armor,
11

thoughts, transforming into actions of machines,
37–38

Three Laws of Robotics (Asimov),
129–30

tibia,
29

tools, use of,
108–9

Touch Bionics,
43
,
44