Bionic prosthesis is a reality

A man who has lost his hand carries a glass of water to his mouth, a ballerina who tore off his leg during an explosion during a terrorist attack, again dances on stage. .. All these are not episodes from "Star Wars" and "Terminator", this is a reality that can be described in three words: "The future has already come."

Bionic prostheses of the new generation allow its owners not only to walk confidently or to take items - they allow you to control the replaced sly electronics with your hands and feet literally with the power of thought, feel rough and smooth surface, cold and heat.

Thanks to bionics, it is now possible to combine technical devices with biology. It uses the same principles as the natural structure of the body. Bionics combines cybernetics, electronics, physics, chemistry and biology. The creation of bionic prostheses is only one of the branches of science, but, undoubtedly, extremely important.

Take a ball

Recreating hands is a seemingly incredible task, because there are a lot of receptors on the pads of human fingers, which are very difficult to replace. It's also difficult to get your fingers to work individually.

However, i-LIMB was one of the first to disprove the laws of nature - their artificial hands not only grab hold of objects, but also regulate the grip force and can move each finger individually. The prosthesis reacts differently to the different contractions of the adjacent muscles, but is controlled by reading the bioelectric potentials emanating from the stump.

Subsequent developments allow you to connect the prosthesis directly to the brain - when the impulses come from this center, the signal becomes clearer, and even the paralyzed can control the prosthesis. Sliman Bensmaya from the University of Chicago went further - his development not only simplifies the navigation of the prosthesis, but also implies feedback.

Artificial fingers feel the rough surface of a tennis ball - they read information and perform 98% of the functions of these. The researcher has to determine how long such a prosthesis can function and whether he can serve after age changes - after that they will go to the market.

Walking and Dancing

Genium is a bright representative of a new generation of bionic leg prostheses. The patient does not feel uncomfortable with the friction of the prosthesis, can easily walk up and down the stairs, without changing the gait to step over the curbs, to go through long distances. Briton Matthew Newberry, one of the first testers and prosthetic owners, already in the first week of the experiment was able to play football and ride a bicycle, almost without falling.

Further tests showed that with new-generation bionic prostheses, it is possible to pass without problems 13-14 km per day and even climb mountainsides. At the presentation of Hugh Guerra, one of the developers of prostheses of this class, the former ballerina Adrian Haslet-Davis, who lost her legs during the terrorist attack, demonstrated her new possibilities. She was able to dance - now you can even lose a leg.

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