IT?S probably the best argument on the educational value of anime and robot cartoons.

For a group of De La Salle University students, the Japanese animation robot Daimos became instrumental in creating the Electromyogram (EMG)-based robotic arm controller that became their thesis in their Manufacturing Engineering and Management (MEM) course. The robot is powered by impulses in the arm and opens up the possibility that an amputated limb can have control of its prosthesis.

?We are fans of robots,? writes the group in response to SIM?s emailed questions. ?It is already common to see joysticks, game controllers, and PC interface used in controlling robots, specifically a robot arm. So we looked for something sensational and unusual.?

Adds the group composed of Dan Anthony Angeles, Alvin Joseph Castillo, Julius Aaron Cheng and Marx Benedict So: ?The fictional robot Daimos was our inspiration. We knew Daimos for his unique type of control, where the character Richard does all those karate moves that his robot can mimic. We thought it would be cool to see a robot do what you do. We wanted something like Daimos, albeit a simpler version.?

Those unfamiliar with Daimos might more readily identify the project with Iron Man. The robotic arm can also be used for increasing the strength of one person by applying it to an exoskeleton suit that senses muscle reflexes and amplifies it to a considerable amount of power. Further developed, it can also help doctors do surgery with a sterilized robotic arm, to minimize contact between doctor and patient.

For the students, it proved to be more than just a thesis project. ?Our project can contribute to medical research. We want to help people, especially amputees. We know that as long as a part of their limbs remains, the muscle fibers left on that limb may still be used by connecting an EMG type of prosthetic mechanism to it, which can be controlled by the user. With further research, the possibilities are endless,? the group declares proudly of the project that took them two years to complete ? from conception to proposal to completion of the first working prototype.

The robotic arm is among the many outstanding theses produced by DLSU?s Manufacturing Engineering and Management program through the years, according to thesis adviser Arthur Pius Santiago. The most recent ones include:

? A Global System for Mobile Communications-Based Home Monitoring System, a home automation system capable of sending message alerts to the home owner if a sensor has been set off (e.g. a window is open). The owner can then close the window using a command from his/her cellphone
? A Tunnel Ventilation System, which maintains temperature at a constant range inside pig pens to keep livestock healthy.
? Door Shrink Wrapping Machine, which packages large wooden doors or stair banister pieces using plastic shrink wrap.
? Reverse Vending Aluminum Can Crusher, a machine that accepts and crushes aluminum cans, while dispensing coins for every can deposited into the system.
? Comprehensive Gait Analysis System: Integrated Pedobarograph and Imaging System, an apparatus that records data on how a person walks. This can be used as a diagnostic tool for doctors to detect abnormalities in a person through his/her manner of walking.
? Automated Malunggay Leaves Drying and Powdering Machine that makes drying possible even during foul weather. The machine can also accurately measure the moisture content of the leaves and assure that impurities such as dust and unwanted particles are eliminated in the drying process.

The thesis projects are mostly based on students? ideas, says Santiago. ?These ideas are inspired by problems they see in the industries during plant visits and difficulties encountered in family businesses, or are current researches conducted by the faculty. It is the thesis groups? prerogative to choose what to propose as their project. A panel of three faculty members evaluates the proposal based on its relevance and practical use. The project must also contain an element of automation, which is the main thrust of the Manufacturing Engineering and Management Department.? Which means that the project must have mechanical, electronic and software components.

After being graded, most of the thesis projects are kept by the students, Santiago adds. ?Some are used in the family business of the student proponents and some make it to exhibits organized by the Department of Science and Technology.?

A number do receive queries from interested manufacturers and other parties, but the student proponents? lack of interest in pursuing further development of the machine or perceived difficulties with Intellectual Property have hampered their commercial potential, the adviser explains.

But there have been moves to patent the thesis projects, Santiago reveals, under the arrangement that gives the school ownership of the patent, while the project proponents are identified as the inventors.

Despite the challenges of copyright and funding for more R and D, the projects? potential industrial use makes them ripe for joint ventures. And indeed, the rehab machine for stroke patients, completed with the help of a doctor at the Philippine General Hospital, will soon be used in the same facility. It?s a first in the hospital and the country, says Arfie Koc of DLSU?s Marketing Communication Office.

Given the popularity of malunggay-based products, from tea to flour to herbal supplements and capsules, the malunggay drying machine might prove to be a timely invention as well.

According to the drying machine proponents Jerico Mark Abedania, Andrew Casey Ang, Jean Paul Cristobal, Marie Precious Marasigan and Enrique Miguel Palomar, the project can also serve as a headstart in creating automated machines that can process the different parts of malunggay like the seeds (for medicine and oil), roots, bark, and flowers. The local and global market impact, the group contends, can create more jobs.

The use of robots in therapy, specifically in the arm rehabilitation of stroke patients, seems particularly promising. Its proponents Matthew Alexander Ang, Luke Limkaichong, Winston Perez, Christine Lyka Sayson and Ma. Nikka Tampo claim that in contrast to human therapy, robot therapy reduces the number of training hours needed, while increasing the training time and the number of training sessions that benefit the patient.

An increase in patient motivation and biofeedback is evident, as advanced mechanical design and software work hand in hand. Such instruments also make possible a more quantitative measure to document and evaluate the rehabilitation process.

The robot can help motivate patients to perform voluntary activities that may improve their condition, as the main focus of the machine is to rehabilitate the patient?s arm to support lateral forearm movement. This means patients will eventually be able to do simple daily activities like eating, buttoning their shirts and brushing their teeth.

Says the group of their project: ?We hope to support therapists and caregivers who have their hands full with a very imbalanced ratio of eight stroke patients for every single caregiver. We also hope to make a difference in Philippine healthcare by helping stroke patients in the long run. Lastly, we hope this project would inspire other engineers and let others see the need to develop technology that can improve healthcare in our country.?