Bionic Limbs: The Artificial Limbs That Live!

In the George Lucas classic, Star Wars, hero Luke Skywalker's arm is severed and amputated during a sweet lightsaber fight and he is then fitted with a bionic arm that he can use as if it were his own limb. At the time the script was written, such a remedy was pure science fiction; however, the ability to manufacture bionic arms that have the function and even feel of a real limb is becoming very real. Already, primates have been trained to feed themselves using a robotic arm just by thinking about it, while brain sensors have been picking up their brain-signal patterns since 2003. The time has come for using this technology on paralysed human patients and amputees.

For decades, scientists have been interested in developing a technique for interpreting brain activity to motor output — in other words, decipher the brain's electric patterns and convert them into action. The movement of any body part is controlled by the cortex in the brain, aided by the nervous system and the nerve cells called motor neurons. The ‘will’ to move a body part comes from in the cortex in the form of electrical currents, which are conveyed through the neurons to the body part. The body part then moves as a result of the electrical current getting converted into motion by the contraction and relaxing of the muscles of that body part. So how can you move a limb that isn’t connected to the brain with nerves?

With the help of a BMI. Lately, this technology has been developed and has been implemented in many new technologies from computer games to artificial limbs. This technology is called a BMI or Brain-Machine Interface. BMI, is a direct communication pathway between a brain and an external device, using sensors and signal recievors.

This new phenomenon called BMI and the new artificial limb called the bionic limb will give an opportunity to people with damaged or dysfunctional sensory and motor neurons, to use their brain to control artificial body parts and restore lost ability. These bionic limbs are so close to the real deal, that they even have even the feel, besides functionality, of a natural limb. The good news is not only for amputees but also patients of incurable ailments like the motor neuron Alzheimer’s disease. Besides this, the new invention moves outside just limb movements to accommodate victims of stroke and other paralytic disorders. This is a great innovation for our time and is giving life back to those who lost it in amputation and disease.

Today, thousands are using the aid of a bionic limb to go about everyday life and with newer and newer technology being developed in the field; we are soon reaching improvement of mobility and strength of that of flesh and bone. Stronger, faster, and better limbs than natural ones will soon be developed for the use of amputees. There might, in the far future, be a situation where people would trade their healthy natural limbs for stronger, synergist, pain-enduring and multi-tasking bionic limbs. I’d be down for that.

Sources:

thefutureofthings.com

ezinearticles.com

engadget.com

howtosplitanatom.com

finalsense.com