| Knowledge |
| Self-Help |
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
| eKibitz » Technology » Bionic Arm |  |
|
Written By: Joseph Gillespie A truly amazing breakthrough in technology, a robotic arm that is completely controlled by unconscious thought, perfectly capable of replacing an actual severed arm. 
The arm works by detecting movement in the chest muscles, which have been surgically connected to the nerves left of the original arm. When the person using the device wishes to move their arm, the normal functions required to do that are rerouted to the chest muscles, the bionic arm detects the movement in these muscles, and translates that into an actual movement of the robotic attachment. The current model utilizes 3 motors at 3 motion points, however a newer 6 motor arm has been in development, and is already being tested. A bionic leg is also under development, and researchers are hoping to be able to create new versions of both that will actually be able to transmit feeling back to the user. Claudia Mitchell is the first woman to be outfitted with a Bionic Arm. Her original arm was lost during a tragic motorcycle accident. The device took longer to establish on a female user, as on the male subjects parts of the chest had to be removed in order to install the device. On a female subject, this type of removal would have caused even more disfigurement. However, as with almost all technology, time and effort paid off. The device was finally able to be installed without the need to remove much of the chest muscles. The bionic arm is able to work because the millions of nerve cells that drive the original arm and hand remain after amputation. When an amputee pretends to move his or her missing limb, those cells activate and send impulses to the spinal cord, and the nerves in the remaining stump. The bionic arm takes full advantage of these lingering impulses. Before being installed, surgeons first reroute the nerves from the stump to a part of the chest. This area is under normal conditions relatively useless, and the amputee will not have an adverse affect by having it hijacked. Surgeons cut the nerves to two chest muscles, the pectoralis and serratus, at a point where the branch apart to control different muscles. They then sew the stumps of the nerves that where once connected to the arm and hand into the freshly cut chest nerves. Over time these nerves grow and bond until they are working together as if the arm existed in the chest. The amputee is actually instructed to mentally attempt to move their missing limb in an effort to ensure this process makes a strong bond. In the end, the amputee can actually cause their chest muscle to twitch when they attempt to move their arm or hand. And that' the ticket needed for the bionic arm. The bionic arm is then strapped onto the amputee, placing electrodes over the now twitching chest area. When the arm detects certain twitches, it's computer translates them into the proper arm or hand movement. The result is an almost perfect replacement of the missing limb. Mitchell said that the device, "has changed my life dramatically. I use it to help with cooking, for holding a laundry basket, for folding clothes -- all kinds of daily tasks." While the advancement to limb rehabilitation is clearly evident, one must also wonder about the other uses such a technology will find itself in. In a video demonstrating the bionic arm that I viewed, it was clear that the arm had quite an amount of strength. Could we see people having their limbs purposefully removed for replacement of robotic versions? Will those who were previously seen as less fortunate, now be stronger and faster than the average human, and become envied? Could it be possible to have an MP3 Player in your forearm that would automatically download and play whatever you had stuck in your head!? Um, yea... I just went al little nuts there. *cough* For decades Sci-Fi stories have always had a special place for those half-robot people who brought wonder to the world. And with the latest breakthrough in technology, we are seeing Sci-Fi become reality in yet another way. For now the bionic technology provides an excellent resource to those suffering the loss of their limbs, but what may tomorrow hold for it? Last Modified: September 15th, 2006
|
| © Copyright 2009 eKibitz. All rights Reserved. Top Privacy Advertise Survey |