Six Million Dollar Man Prop Research

[PHArchivist]

Steve's ID

or

Brad needs to get to work!

 

[PHArchivist]

OK here are some screen caps of the bionic parts:

Arm from the pilot episode

Arm from the pilot episode

Arm from the credit sequence

Leg from the credit sequence (reportedly the same as used in Beguiled)

Eye from credits

Eye seen better in the pilot episode

Note poster on the wall showing the threaded eye

 

[slave1pilot]

I love how the Bionic Eye just screws in.

 

[slave1pilot]

Here's the pic they used for his ID

and larger, but more damaged

 

[PHArchivist]

Looking at the arm, it looks to be the same, but with the upper part removed in the credits version.

 

[PHArchivist]

In the pilot, during the rebuilding sequence, there are shots in a "medical facility" that is filled with tables bearing standard prosthetics of the time.

It occured to me that perhaps the UCLA involvement may have been limited to a location shot... (?)

 

[Fizbin]

Color Fembot pics;

Wow, that's one heck of a job on matching any kind of natural skintone. :lol

But seriously, it would be cool to see some 6MDM props floating around... kudos to you sir!

 

[Hangar18Studios]

Thanks for the pic's they help reveal a lot. Here's what info I can offer;
the arm is a Myo electric arm, they are still in use by amputee's today but the technology is a little dated as compared to our new I-limb's and I-Limb "Pulse" from Touch Bionics. Anyhow, I'm sure UCLA at the time was doing some cutting edge developments in "above-elbow" technology (that's what that whole device looks like in the screen-grab). The Myo's are currently for below-elbow amputation. They are anatomically inaccurate because the digits are very short and their mechanisms just do a simple "open and close", not much dexterity.
Just do a web search for Myo-electric arm and you'll see some pic's. I know you can still get them, and skins for them (I have some in my office) but be prepared to shell out between 10 and 20 thousand.

 

[PHArchivist]

Thanks for the pic's they help reveal a lot. Here's what info I can offer;
the arm is a Myo electric arm, they are still in use by amputee's today but the technology is a little dated as compared to our new I-limb's and I-Limb "Pulse" from Touch Bionics. Anyhow, I'm sure UCLA at the time was doing some cutting edge developments in "above-elbow" technology (that's what that whole device looks like in the screen-grab). The Myo's are currently for below-elbow amputation. They are anatomically inaccurate because the digits are very short and their mechanisms just do a simple "open and close", not much dexterity.
Just do a web search for Myo-electric arm and you'll see some pic's. I know you can still get them, and skins for them (I have some in my office) but be prepared to shell out between 10 and 20 thousand.

Holy ****! So the iconic bionic arm is essentially a "found item"!? This post is one of the coolest and most informative I've read in quite a while - thank you!

There are additional caps I pulled that I imagine fully corroborate what you are saying.

One shows the digits opened and somewhat flared. The arm is being held by Rudy Wells, as he manipulates some sort of trigger or activation mechanism near or above the elbow in order to extend the digits.

Also, a scene shows Wells carrying the arm across the room, and the arm trails what appears to be two cords from the shoulder joint area, both attached to a dangling junction box or battery box of some sort.

I'll post those caps tonight.

 

[PHArchivist]

This is not the cap I mentioned (about the dangling cords), but I think the cords shown here (taped to the arm) are the cords in the cap of Wells carrying the arm.

 

[gunnerk19]

Man, when I was a kid, those Fembots without the faces would scare the bejesus outta me...

'Course, if they were portrayed with exposed jaw actuated armatures, eyebrow armatures, and olfactory sensors in place of the 6 resistors, I'd still have been one screwed up kid...

 

[PHArchivist]

It occured to me that perhaps the UCLA involvement may have been limited to a location shot... (?)

Anyhow, I'm sure UCLA at the time was doing some cutting edge developments in "above-elbow" technology (that's what that whole device looks like in the screen-grab).

So on second thought, perhaps it is quite likley that UCLA loaned an arm to the production.

I did a cursory search on the net, but of course nearly all that was returned was current technology. The Boston Digital Arm seems to be a current-day candidate if a film or TV producer wanted an "off-the-shelf" item to represent a "bionic" arm.

I found one site that had images of vintage devices, but only one, loosely similar arm from the 60's.

It would be fascinating to learn the manufacturer of the arm used in the show.

 

[PHArchivist]

I wonder if they either switched the hands for the credit sequence, or used a different copy of the same model arm?

Note the hand in the credits is much more natural in coloring, but more poignant, the wrist on the credit hand extends notably farther up the arm. I wonder if the credit arm utilized a higher grade silicon (did they use silicon in the early 70's?) cover...

Arm from the pilot episode

Arm from the credit sequence

 

[asemblyrequired]

wow...that arm would be a fun project to do and Identify the parts of .

 

[Calufrax]

OK here are some screen caps of the bionic parts:

Eye from credits

Eye seen better in the pilot episode

The eye always looked to me like they painted an iris on some plexi-glass fish-eye peephole thing meant to go in your door. Which would be pretty awesome to actually have in the front door come to think about it!

 

[asemblyrequired]

That poster in the background of that one image would be a nice wall piece

 

[mrsmartypants]

Looking at the arm, it looks to be the same, but with the upper part removed in the credits version.

I came to the same conclusion. I think a few parts have been removed/changed around too, but essentially, it looks to be the same arm.

 

[Eyes Only]

Didn't somebody on the board do a Time-Line Converter from the Bigfoot episodes?

 

[adamata]

I have a replica eye someone made a long time ago. Not very accurate, but a real cool piece

 

[stingray]

Slightly off topic. Those that don't want to buy the entire series, they are now offering Season 1 and the three Pilot movies.
The Six Million Dollar Man DVD news: Announcement for The Six Million Dollar Man - Pilot TV Movies and The Complete Season 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
I will say this about the Complete series release it is by far the best I've seen to date as far as entire series releases.