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Biomechatronics An applied interdisciplinary science that integrates
mechanical elements, electronics and parts of biological organisms
Includes aspects of biology, mechanics and electronics
Incorporates robotics and neuroscience Aims to develop devices that interact with human
muscle, skeleton and nervous system Simulated fingers and hands are a branch of
Biomechtronics
History First recorded illustration of prosthetic replacement appears in
the Rig-Veda, a religious text written in Sanskrit, compiled between 3,500 and 1,800 B.C. in India.[1]
In 1504, the Iron Hand of knight Götz von Berlichingen was constructed by an armourer and with the help of gearwheels the fingers could be revolved and fixed at a certain position.[2]
In 1909, D. W. Dorrance invented a split hook that was anchored to the opposite shoulder and could be opened with a strap across the back and closed by rubber bands.[3]
In 1915, Sauerbruch's hand was devised by a German surgeon Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch in collaboration with Aurel Stodola Slovak physicist, turbine engineer and professor of mechanics which was controlled and powered directly from surgically prepared muscles of the residual limb.[4]
Image and information sources: http://rehabeasy.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/bionic-arm-mechanism.htmlhttp://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/ff_prosthetics/all/?pid=3424&viewall=true
Extending the arm or flexing the shoulder pulls a cable attached to a harness on the user’s back.
As the cable tightens, it opens a split hook at the end of the arm and reversing the move closes the hook.
This prosthetic arm also provides a sensory feedback-force which gets felt by the user’s body.
Fingers In the past iron, steel, copper and wood were the
major materials used.
At the present, following materials used serve specific purposes: Titanium: lightweight, provides longer life and
durability Aluminium: lightweight and durable Thermoplastics sockets: lightweight and give
prosthesis recipients extended comfort at the site the prosthesis is fitted
Carbon fibre: forms lightweight pylon and gives amputees a sense of life in their limbs
Recent Innovations
A company called ‘i-limb’ has a product called the ‘i-digits’ which provide personalized electronic digits for people who have loss up to five fingers.
However, the patient must pass a selection criteria to be considered.
Each prosthetic is unique to fit the hand of the patient. It is battery powered. The interface material is silicone to avoid damage done to the
skin and tissue. The ‘i-digit’ is controlled using myoelectrodes or force-sensing
resistors (FSR's).[11] The electrodes can sense muscle contraction. This contraction is filtered and processed to tell the fingers to open or close.[11]
The prosthetic can be covered with a silicon material to match the colour and appearance of the patient's skin.
“Bionic hand for 'elective amputation' patient”[5]
-Neil Bowdler, BBC News If people with minor damages to their hands undergo amputation and replace their
hands with simulated hands for better function today, then will people with healthy hands undergo amputation if technologically advanced simulated hands with extraordinary features are developed in the future? Will it devalue natural hands and life?
References [1]VANDERWERKER, E.E., 2013. A Brief Review of the History of Amputations and Prostheses. ICIB 1976 Vol. 15, Num. 5, p.15-16. Retrieved April
12, 2013, from http://www.acpoc.org/library/1976_05_015.asp
[2]Prosthetic Arm through the Ages. 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013 from http://www.medica-tradefair.com/cipp/md_medica/custom/pub/content,oid,23173/lang,2/ticket,g_u_e_s_t/~/Prosthetic_Arms_through_the_Ages.html
[3]Made How: Artificial Limb. 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Artificial-Limb.html
[4]Whonamedit?: Sauerbruch’s hand. 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/3966.html
[5]BOWDLER, N., 2011. Bionic hand for ‘elective amputation’ patient. BBC News Science & Environment. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13273348
[6]SWEENEY, E., 2005. Cost of prosthetics stirs debate. The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/05/cost_of_prosthetics_stirs_debate/
[7]BAGLEY, A., JAMES, M., SELF, B.P., COLEMAN R. & DENARO B., 2013. DETERMINING USAGE OF A JUVENILE MYOELECTRIC PROSTHETIC ARM. ACPOC News 2002 Vol. 8, Num. 4, p.17-18, 20, 22, 24, 25. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.acpoc.org/library/2002_04_017.asp
[8]MARTIN, C.W., 2011. Upper Limb Prostheses. WorkSafeBC Evidence-Based Practice Group, p. 6. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.worksafebc.com/health_care_providers/Assets/PDF/UpperLimbProstheses2011.pdf
[9]‘X Fingers prosthetic designed to replace lost digits’- cnet retrieved 21/04/13 at http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20071697-1/x-fingers-prosthetic-designed-to-replace-lost-digits/
[10]‘Mechanical Fingers Give Strength, Speed to Amputees’- Wired retrieved 21/04/13 at http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2007/07/xfinger
[11]Touch Bionics, retrieved 21/04/13 at http://www.touchbionics.com/products/active-prostheses/i-limb-digits/technical-information/