Sci-Fact: Exo-Skeletons

Throughout history, technology and science have changed prosthetics very drastically. For example, in the article Science life, it talks about the victims in the Boston Marathon, and it also talks about how hard it was to adapt to the prosthetics they needed. Most importantly, it says they have made improvements to the prosthetics and how they can connect to your mind to help control the prosthetics. In the article by Kim M. Norton it lectures about how the prosthetics started wooden and have improved to the point that they are automatic and look like real human parts. Technology and science are still improving prosthetics today to become better than they are now.

The skeleton system gives strength, support and shape to the human body. It also helps keep the

In the early 1970’s, NASA’s Ames Research Center funded a development project designed to create a substance that could help relieve astronauts of the incredible g-forces experienced during lift-off. They believed that one of the key secrets to reducing g-forces on the body was to use a foam material that could conform to each person’s shape and hold this conformity. While a foam mold of each astronaut’s body shape could accomplish this, any movement would take a person out of this position and create incorrect pressure points against the body. Instead, they created a new foam material that was visco-elastic and therefore able to conform to a person’s shape, but then come back to a normal shape once pressure was removed from the foam. This could allow an even distribution of pressure or body weight over the entire surface of the foam, but quickly adapt to any movements of the body.

The history of prosthetics dates back many years to when they were originally made around 1500 B.C. Prosthetic devices were originally used to take the place of limbs but had no other purpose. Most prosthetic devices during Roman times were just wooden or steel pegs (Patel). In the 1500s, Ambroise Pare introduced amputation to the medical community, and shortly after,made artificial limbs to take the place of the arm and elbow earning him the name, the father of prosthetics. In the late 1600s, Pieter Andriannszoon Verduyh developed the first non-locking prosthesis for below the knee which is the basis for the joints used today. Sir James Syme then introduced ankle amputation to

From peg legs and hooks to robotic arms and legs, prosthetics have made an outstanding leap. Prosthetics have enabled amputees to regain mobility and their lives. The advancements in prosthetics have also led to a better understanding in surgical amputation and the construction of prosthetics. The question is what influenced the advancements of prosthetics and how it affected prosthetics. The answer lies within the history and the physiological components of prosthetics. Mobility and function, physiological components, and war all played an important role in the advancements of prosthetics.

NASA has always had the best equipment available to them when training their astronauts to live in a reduced gravity environment. Now their equipment is being used to help treat and prevent many different sports injuries. The Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill is being implemented in many rehabilitation centers for use as sports injury therapy.

PT technology is also improving from vibrating posture sensors, and gait correcting shoe insoles, to popular moving tracking devices like fitbit, these innovations offer new opportunities for improved diagnosis, treatment, and patient engagement. There's futuristic tools that are being worked on that assist physical therapist with exercises and can speed recovery for patients with such neurological impairments as traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, and different strokes. The robots increase the number of repetitions performed by physical therapy patients; Robots can help a patient perform ten times the number of repetitions in a normal one-hour session. Telemedic is a growing trend in the physical therapy, it's in a video game technology. Sometimes they provide a virtual reality headset too so you feel as if you were in an actual exercise class. But not all physical therapist use new “fancy” machines, most of them prefer the old way with no technology to deal with. Physical therapy is more hands on than anything though, you use dumbbells, ropes, a weighted ball, and jump ropes, you also do

These machines are made to specifically target the muscle and bone that are prone to deterioration in microgravity. Crew members are required to exercise to maintain optimal health during spaceflight, due to the face that they go on physically demanding trips outside of the spacecraft. The regular exercise on the flight helps counteract the effect of bone and muscle loss. Without exercise during these trips, not only could they encounter bone and muscle deterioration, they can develop cardiovascular problems. Part of Expedition 47’s research is to find a way to create smaller, more convenient exercise machines. Astronauts who have been exposed to microgravity in long duration flights are at a high risk of bone fracture, and subsequently need to be under specific attention and care. Research shows that in microgravity, bone mass can decrease up 20% after six months (ESA, 2008, para. 2). Expedition 47’s research can help find new and more convenient ways to keep muscle and bone mass regulated. These “mini” exercise machines can give the crew much more body space but also give them the equipment they need to keep their musculoskeletal system in

getting us from place to place quickly while eradicating the need for legs altogether. Instead of

Found in Chilean Desert in 2003, this little skeleton was found to have a remarkable DNA and has fewer ribs, tiny body, and irregularly-shaped head. The Ata Skeleton was believed to be a premature fetus with some medical deformities. Although some are skeptical of scientific study, there are believers who claimed that its a bone of an extraterrestrial.

The skeletal system, while appearing inert at first glance, is a dynamic organ responsible for a number of vital functions in the body; including but not limited to providing protection and support to other organ systems, as well as permitting movement through collaboration with the muscular system. At the cellular level, bone provides a reservoir of growth factors and cytokines, maintains the acid-base balance and mineral homeostasis, and is the site of hematopoeisis. Like other connective tissue, bone has both a cellular and an extracellular matrix component. The matrix is made up of collagen fibers and noncollagenous proteins, with type I collagen accounting for ~90% of total protein, and the noncollagenous osteocalcin, osteopontin, and bone sialoprotein, and others making up the other 10%. In contrast with other connective tissue, the extracellular matrix of bone is mineralized physiologically, though the deposition of layers of carbonated hydroxyapatite. This mineral component, making up 50-70% of bone, provides bone 's characteristic mechanical rigidity and strength (Clarke 2008). Elasticity and flexibility are due to the organic matrix, which makes up another 20-40%, lending bone incredible resilience without compromising its strength, and another 5-10% of bone is water.

The exoskeleton can be removed with just the machine becoming just a pack. Users can control the pack, to move up to 1.1 MPH. Kazarooni started their build in 2000, after being funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (D.A.R.P.A.). They were tasked to create a contraption that could help people carry heavier loads for a longer time. In 2011, they made an exoskeleton for Berkeley senior Austin Whitney to help him walk across the stage to get his diploma. The earliest exoskeleton-like device was a set of walking, jumping and running assisted apparatus developed in 1890 by a Russian named Nicholas Yagn. As a unit, the apparatus used compressed gas bags to store energy that would assist with movements, although it was passive in operation and required.Not only has America made its own exoskeleton, other countries have started and have had many built before. Take HAL or Hybrid Assistive Leg for example. There were two primary versions HAL 3 which were just for the legs. HAL 5, which was a full body suit. The first prototype was proposed in 1997, they spent four years mapping out the

The human skeleton can offer more information than meets the eye. In fact, when analysing an individual’s skeletal features it is possible to constitute a biological profile. In this essay, I aim to explore the multiple elements that a human skeleton could shed light upon such as age, sex, stature, diet, health and trauma.

Having a exoskeleton would make people less vulnerable to injury and when they did get injured the healing would be harder for the doctors. Having bones cover the outside of our bodies would make things harming our skin and organs far less likely. That also means that when doctors have to get into the body they have to get through the bone as well.

In the second application, the system is used to drive a full-body exoskeleton with four (4) actuated joints in its lower limb (Hips and Knees) to follow a CPG-based human gait. The CPG-based human gait is modified using polynomial functions to allow the selection of initial conditions for the human-exoskeleton. Simulation and the eventual results were obtained via MATLAB/SIMULINK. The performance of the system was discussed