new-science
Actual Functionality for Prosthetic Limbs
September 12th 2008 14:00
Video of Mind-Controlled Arm - Link
According to a November 2007 Popular Mechanics article linked above, DARPA is funding scientists such as Dr. Stuart Harshbarger to develop a human-like mechanical arm. An arm such as this can actually “feel” what it is touching through 80 sensors in the prosthesis’s fingers and palm. The brain can then interpret this to make decisions on the grip strength necessary as well as other complex yet normal adjustments that most people make every day. This mechanical arm and hand also have a full range of movement plus some. Furthermore, this prosthetic, unlike others, is elegantly designed with fingers and grasping abilities that closely mimic a normal hand. This prosthetic is much different than the ones normally used today in that it is a sleek and elegant design and easily a vast improvement over the clumsy designs available today.
Harshbarger, who works at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, is hoping to “hard-wire” the prosthetic into patients by connecting it directly to their nerve fibers. This “mind-controlled” prosthesis would allow patients to simply think of an action and cause their prosthetic to move. Since the device would be wired to their nerves, their brain would send an electrical impulse down the nerve fibers and into the connections of the prosthesis, causing movement. For anyone who uses or knows someone who uses a prosthetic, this would be a major breakthrough in restoring independence and natural ability to those who have lost a limb.
There are approximately 3,000,000 amputees in the U.S. and with an extra 170,000 every year in North America. Of this number, 90% have lost a leg. Other patients are paralyzed from spinal cord injury. This affects 400,000 people in the U.S. alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to be paralyzed due to traumas and sickness. This affects everything they try to do, from the mundane to the complex. Many of these people are affected so seriously that they have become dependent on others for life-long care.
The demand for an advanced prosthetic would be overwhelming if it were ever to be released for the general public’s use. Unfortunately, the cost of such an elaborately designed prosthetic would probably be difficult to afford if insurance companies declined to pay for them. For the first phase of Harshbarger’s project, DARPA awarded over $30 million. Harshbarger’s lab is certainly not the only one exploring these ideas which means millions of dollars is being invested in finding something both groundbreaking and useful. Hopefully, these mind-controlled devices do not become breakthroughs that are financially unattainable for most people.
Harshbarger, who works at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, is hoping to “hard-wire” the prosthetic into patients by connecting it directly to their nerve fibers. This “mind-controlled” prosthesis would allow patients to simply think of an action and cause their prosthetic to move. Since the device would be wired to their nerves, their brain would send an electrical impulse down the nerve fibers and into the connections of the prosthesis, causing movement. For anyone who uses or knows someone who uses a prosthetic, this would be a major breakthrough in restoring independence and natural ability to those who have lost a limb.
There are approximately 3,000,000 amputees in the U.S. and with an extra 170,000 every year in North America. Of this number, 90% have lost a leg. Other patients are paralyzed from spinal cord injury. This affects 400,000 people in the U.S. alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to be paralyzed due to traumas and sickness. This affects everything they try to do, from the mundane to the complex. Many of these people are affected so seriously that they have become dependent on others for life-long care.
The demand for an advanced prosthetic would be overwhelming if it were ever to be released for the general public’s use. Unfortunately, the cost of such an elaborately designed prosthetic would probably be difficult to afford if insurance companies declined to pay for them. For the first phase of Harshbarger’s project, DARPA awarded over $30 million. Harshbarger’s lab is certainly not the only one exploring these ideas which means millions of dollars is being invested in finding something both groundbreaking and useful. Hopefully, these mind-controlled devices do not become breakthroughs that are financially unattainable for most people.
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