Would You Rather

Would you rather have a robotic arm or a robotic leg?

 

arm.

it's not as important as a leg and a robotic leg could leave me all discombobulated and make it hard for me to get around. an arm is just there.

 

An arm definitely ... but makes me think, is it in addition to my two arms or do I have to give up one? A hug just wouldn't be the same with one of each.

 

I had shoulder surgery about ten years ago---pins and heat probes to 'shrink' down torn and stretched tendon/ligaments. Not fun. Spending 2 mos with your arm in one of those pillow slings that tie around your waist makes you realize how many things you need two hands for...tying shoes, putting hair up, and of course doing the dishes. (not that I minded a few months off from housekeeping). DH had to learn how to put my hair up into a ponytail. And I spend 4 mos in penny loafers (winter in chicago is impossible for sandals--frostbite).

All that said, if it wasn't my right arm, I would still go with the robotic arm. Clumsy is my middle name...I walk into doors on a weekly basis. But if it was my dominant hand I would have to go with the leg.

 

I think that the quality of the robotic appendage is at the root of this question. I mean, is it high-tech robotic, almost like bionic? Or is it sort of janky and you're always having to fuss with it? If it's a good quality robot, then I will go with leg. I think it would be easier to get used to walking with a robotic leg than it would be to learn how to use a robotic hand. And like Jen said, if it's my dominant hand, then leg for sure.

 

I think I'd pick the leg. They are kind of cool looking really IMO, and you can still run & walk pretty well from what I can tell. An arm/hand I think I use too much in so many ways that need more finess and dexterity. Imagine having to relearn how to home-test with the new arm... ugh!!!

 

I'm addicted to the new live oil feeds BP is now streaming - 12 feeds now - and you can watch them all in one place here:
http://mxl.fi/bpfeeds2/
So I've been getting a lot of robotic arms recently.

Anyway, the robotic arms are pretty cool and of course they do not have legs because they can utilize other propulsion methods.

Long way of saying, I'd rather have a robotic arm in addition to my two human legs and arms. Then I could grab hot baking pans without burning my fingers to a crisp all the time. Even with all the hyper-modern equipment on the sea floor, the arms still seem super clumsy.

 

Every time I come to PZI Land, you guys make me smile. Thanks for that.