Archeologists have unearthed a curved wooden toe that was attached to a piece of leather. This is our oldest example of prosthesis – as far as we know – and we believe it was used 3,000 years ago in Egypt. It was probably not very functional; and it would take a very long time for the first functional prosthetic limbs to become available.
In the 16th Century, Ambroise Paré, a French battlefield surgeon, invented a prosthetic hand with flexible fingers. He also built a leg with a knee that could lock into place when the wearer was standing.
Throughout history, the need for functional prosthetics has arisen time and time again. During the Civil War, in the United States for instance, there were more than 60,000 amputations. While millions of dollars have been set aside for prosthetic research, many prosthetic limbs have remained only barely functional and not easy to control. Many require invasive surgery to even work correctly.
The Best We’ve Got
In an attempt to improve the limited functionality of prosthetic limbs, researchers have arrived at a solution: osseointegration. The Royal National Orthopedic Hospital detailed how this cutting-edge process, a way to fuse the prosthesis directly onto the bone, in a revolutionary new study.
In so doing, the prosthetic limb can become part of the musculoskeletal system.This would not only improve the functionality of the limb – it would also let the amputee feel as “normal” as possible. By implanting the bone this way, much more of the senses can function just as they would with a normal human limb. This method would even allow increased nervous motor control.
The problem? To make this happen, doctors would have to bond titanium implants directly to the bone of an arm or leg. The procedure requires invasive surgery just to attach the limb. There’s an inherent risk that surgery carries; but also, at the moment this is only a proposed theory. This means it stays out of reach for most amputees who need functional limbs right now.
The Future of Prosthetics
The solution? To develop current prosthetic models so they’re more functional and easier to control by making use of technology we already have.
What if an amputee could attach software to their current prosthetic limb to make it more functional and control it naturally with his/her thoughts? Neurogress is developing a program that can do just that. The interface software allows the user to control the prosthetic as one would control a normal arm or leg through their brainwaves.
This software would act as an interface between an amputee’s limb and the biosignals received from the amputee’s cortex, allowing the brain to control the limb just by thinking about it. The device will not require surgery or any medication.
A neurointerface would be able to pick up “commands” from the amputee’s brain, then send those signals to the prosthetic device where the software would take care of analyzing them and putting them into action. This would allow amputees to move their limbs as easily as they could the ones they were born with.
We’ve come a very long way since the first prosthetic limbs were used. The problems of functionality and control have plagued us since Egypt 3,000 years ago.Finally, we’re reaching the point where today’s artificial limbs are designed to look and feel like the “real thing”.
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