Bionic limbs are a marvel of human engineering. Drawing from our hundreds of years of experience using basic prosthetic limbs, we have managed to combine micro-electronics with current and past designs to create independently moving bionics. Whilst we are still some way off the bionics we see in some movies, these imaginary designs are becoming more and more realistic. It is only a matter of time before we can not only use bionics to replace limbs, but also existing ones through the use of so called exo-skeletons.
Visual bionics, also known as bionic eyes, are microelectronics that can be implanted in the eye. They are able to restore vision to people suffering from partial and total blindness. These pieces of equipment are extremely complex to manufacture and expensive to buy. Surgery is required to implant most of these devices into the eye, which in countries without free public healthcare, is very expensive and inaccessible to a majority of the population. Despite all these challenges, the ‘Alliance of advanced biomedical engineering’ says “the vision bionics market segment is teeming with device prototypes and some commercialised products.” According to the same source, one of the most popular companies is ‘Second sight medical products’, based out of California. Their design consists of an implant that is put into the eye, a camera and a device that is able to process the images captured by the camera. The processing unit is able to transmit the image directly to the implant which then works to stimulate the retinal cells. Similar designs are being developed by companies in France, Germany and Australia.
Auditory bionics fall into three main classes; cochlear implants, auditory brainstem implants and auditory midbrain implants. These devices help to transmit sound to the brain in cases where the body cannot do it by itself. According to ‘Alliance of advanced biomedical engineering’, the market for auditory bionics is far more established than that of visuals. Companies from all around the world are vying to sell their products with varying degrees of success.
Bionic limbs such as arms, legs, knees and feet are some of the most sought after forms of bionic technology as people often lose limbs in accidents, conflict or are simply born without. Scientists around the world have developed many designs that function in a variety of different ways. For example a scientist called Dr Todd Kuiken from the rehabilitation institute of Chicago has developed a bionic arm that is controlled by the users brain. The new arm is connected to the brain via surviving motor nerves which used to connect to the old arm. When the person decides they want to move their arm, the brain sends an electrical signal down these existing nerves, which is then picked up by electrodes inside the bionic arm. Dr Kuiken is now working to build on the design and give it more functions. There are plans to allow the arm to feel pressure and heat, which would be a major advancement in creating a life-like bionic arm. A bionic knee developed my MIT has been given the ability to think for itself. Unlike previous bionic knees which have to be programmed to the exact specifications of the user, this new knee has the ability to program itself to provide a comfortable and realistic range of motion. According to the designers, the main purpose of this technology is to make walking with a prosthetic leg easier.
The future of bionics looks bright as many multi-million pound companies battle it out to create ever more advanced designs. With the advances in nano-tech growing year on year, realistic bionic human limbs are not too far away. When we watch movies like the old star wars, and see what people during that time thought bionics would look like in the future, it’s amazing to think that technology is now just around the corner. For example ‘Luke Sky walkers’ bionic arm is very similar to the one we have discussed previously. The parts needed for producing bionics are becoming ever cheaper as they become less specialised and more common. We are starting to see smaller start up companies trial their designs with fascinating innovations. As strange as it may seem, a world where mechanoid like human beings exist is closer than we may think. Forget Arnold Swarzenegar’s terminator, this could be the future. There may soon come a time when bionic limbs function better than existing human limbs which will leave a real dilemma. Will people simply choose to replace their limbs with bionics to enhance their performance or will bionics be kept especially for those who really need them? Only time will tell.
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