Advances In Prosthetics

Robots have been useful to humans since the past. They’re made to make human life easier. Since early times people have been dreaming of making robots and different people have made different kinds of robots. Robots has been useful in the past, they’re now useful in present-time, and they’re going to be useful in the future.

Prosthesis is a term used for replacing a human body part which has been damaged or cut accidently with an artificial one. Hybrid prosthetic limb is a combination of mechanical and electrical circuit in which a controller gives command to electrically driven motor for the gripper opening and closing. Signal for the gripper opening or closing is acquired from the other shoulder movement. A strap on the shoulder is tied to a string which switches on or off the limit switch to give a trigger signal. This trigger signal actuates the motor in the gripper to perform open or close operation.

Prosthetics has always been part of most of our history, and it has come a long way since then. Forms of prosthetics date way back to the Civil War, and has made a lot of progress throughout the years. During the Civil War, many soldiers would have to be amputated everyday to save their lives. For example, in the text “I Will Not Get Out of Heart Yet,” it states that “Soldiers shot in the arm or leg on the battlefield were highly likely to develop potentially fatal infections, and the only way to prevent a painful death was to cut off the damaged body part.” Despite this fact, prosthetics were extremely uncomfortable to wear and were considered “crude contraptions” and “ were usually made of wood or steel --- that were awkward and painful to wear.” Many soldiers did not like having prosthetic limbs, as they were uncomfortable to wear and awkward to move around with.

A major impetus to improving artificial limbs started when the United States encouraged companies to improve prosthetics instead of munitions (Norton, 2007). The combination of lighter materials and robotics assist has created huge advancements in functionality and has dramatically improved quality of life and potential for independent living. Even with the advancement of these limbs, the basic mechanical principals are still the same. Modern times allow for many different types of limbs to be created. Limbs can be created to match skin tone, freckles and fingerprints. There are three many ways a limb can be made to move. The first is attaching the limb to a moving body part to act as a gear shifter. Another variation is a motor attached and the person can switch modes by a mechanical toggle shift. The most advanced movement is the myoelectric capability. This is when electrodes are placed on the muscles of the residual limb. When contracted the arm will move according to which electrode fired. A microprocessor can also be attached to learn exactly how the person walks (Clements, 2008). Modern prosthetics offer valuable life skills, yet are very

The impact of amputation can have many emotional effects on amputees. Many amputees go through a period of low-self esteem and emotional adjustment after losing a limb. Some amputees view themselves of having a problem. This viewpoint is not relatively new, it has been the mindset of amputees for centuries. In the feudal era, knights often had prosthetics made into their armor to appear as if they had all their biological limbs. However, these prosthetics were virtually useless. These views that affected prosthetics can be easily seen today. Cosmesis is a type of prosthetic that can model real limbs with extreme detail such as skin color, freckles, and even hair. Besides the limitations of cosmesis, many amputees report that most people can not distinguish the prosthetic from the real limb (Bowers). Cosmesis is an ongoing study to provide amputees with a life-like prosthesis that offers function and mobility. The desire to gain independence and acceptance of the prosthesis may also influence the advancements of prosthetics.

The member has a congenital amputation and is a longstanding successful prosthetic user. She is able to perform all activities of daily living as well as vocational and avocational activities with a body-powered prosthesis. Advantages of body-powered prosthesis include tactile feedback through the device. Disadvantages of a powered prosthesis include device limitations due to the need for a rechargeable battery source to power the device.

The timeline of prosthetics extends far. As humans, we are very adaptable. A person can lose a hand or leg and learn how to do most of same things they could do before but to make things easier, artificial body parts were invented. Some of the earliest prosthetics were peg legs and hook hands which were very common for those who could afford them. Then, the Renaissance (1400s-1900s), copper, iron, steel, and wood were very common during this time period. As generations pass, plastics, polycarbonates, resins, and laminates were introduced as light, alternatives to wood and leather. Our generation, has advanced prosthetics the most thanks to new technologies and the improvement of materials. Prosthetic design has advanced to highly specialized

With advancements in technology, amputees will be able to have legs that are equal to their non-amputee competitors. New materials such as thermal plastics and composites are being used in order to make the prosthetics lighter and stronger. Microprocessors are an integral part of the future of lower limb prosthesis. Joe McTernan, a member of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, explained, “With microprocessor technology, electrodes are placed over the socket of the limb and the patient is trained that when they flex certain muscles, it sends a signal to the motor to do a specific motion” (Alvarez 1). This allows the amputee to have more control over their limbs when sprinting. There are other ideas for advancement that have not been tested yet. Permanent prosthetic limbs would be ideal because the athlete would not have to worry about their legs detaching during a race. They also would not have to waste their time and money on multiple prosthetic legs. A stronger, durable, and permanent prosthetic leg would be a life-changing invention. New designs are being created in an effort to find the best prosthetic leg. The ‘c-shaped’ and ‘j-shaped’ legs seem to be the most successful, but future advancement may determine that a replica of the human foot works better. Scientists continue to work tirelessly in an effort to create equal opportunities for athletic amputees to be

From peg legs and hooks to mechanical arms and legs, prosthetics have improved drastically since the dawn of time. Prosthetics have allowed amputees to obtain more mobility and flexibility in their lives. The advancements in prosthetics have also led to a better understanding in the area of amputation and in the assembly of the prosthetics themselves. The question is what allowed the advancements of prosthetics to happen in the first place? The answer lies within technology and its role in the medical field. Technology has allowed for prosthetics to not only look like real limbs, but to function as though they are real. Progression in the fabrication of the prosthetic limbs from wood and leather, to now programmable microprocessor controls

Modern prosthetic limbs have become very advanced in the last decade. They now have the ability to grip objects, have running limbs, and many more wonderful things. Although these prosthetics are great, they are lacking some key extras that amputees would relish. What amputees really want is their sense of feeling back. They want to reach out with their prosthetic limb and be able to tell if the stove is on or off. They want to be able to press the gas of an automobile. This sense, that all non-amputees take for granted, would be a great place to start the improvement of the perfect prosthetic limb. To accomplish such a daunting task, engineers must figure out an alternative source that could interact with the amputees still intact nerve endings. This way they can use their still functioning nerves to communicate with their pseudo-nerve and have the ability to move their prosthesis around with complete control of it and its sense of touch. I believe this has not

An estimated 1.7 million United States (U.S.) citizens in the year 2007 were living with the loss of a limb. This number is projected to more than double by the year 2050 to 3.6 million. This trend is driven by an aging population and the associated increase of amputations resulting from diabetes and vascular disease (McFarland). Limb amputees face overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial lifestyle changes. They require prosthetic devices and services which become a lifetime commitment. Problems and solutions of prosthetic devices can be observed through ease of use, approval of new technology, coverage by insurers, and the viewpoint of the Catholic Church.

of society. In a Neuron article they pointed out that “Performance at this time is most severely

analyze the method of control and coordinated the human prosthetic with other organs are two

Take a second, and imagine your life as a teenager, fresh out of college with, aspiring to get a degree in whatever your heart desires. You’ve got lots of ambition and potential. The world is at your fingertips; you can do anything you set your mind to. But one day, tragedy strikes and the unthinkable happens: you lose a limb. Why is not important, but what the future entails is. Let’s say this limb is your right arm, the one you have used all your life to write, eat, type and play the guitar. Now let’s change the scenario a little bit. Instead you’ve lost your legs in a horrific car accident where both were crushed under the weight of the dashboard as your car collided with the 4x4 in front of you. You wake up the next day in the hospital groggy, barely remembering what happened. Shock is the only thing running through your mind the moment you look down to see your legs missing. Your brain thinks they’re still there because yesterday you were just getting out of bed for your morning jog. All that remains are the stubs where your legs used to be and the unbearable thought of being confined to a motorized chair for the rest of your life.

who want limbs that function faster and better. Their demands push the limits of prosthetic