Human goes Robot

Artificial Limbs in the Past and the Present

The first Prosthetics used for esthetic reasons were toes, found on an Egyptian mummy. They're over 3000 years old.
The oldest artificial leg was found in a tomb in Italy. The leg is made out of copper and wood, and dates from 300 BC. In the 15th and 16th century artificial limbs for soldiers were made out of iron. Over the following centuries craftsmen used wood instead of metal because it weighed less. In the 19th century prosthetics became more common due to the many amputees from wars such as the Napoleonic Wars.
Technology improved because of advances in biomechanical understanding, through the combined work of doctors and engineers, the development of new materials such as Carbon
Fiber and the aid of computers. Nowadays artificial limbs look more natural, stronger and lighter. But a person with an artificial leg starting above the knee still needs 80% more energy to walk than a normal person.

The Future of Brain Controlled Prosthetics

Scientists report that in experiments monkeys were able to control robotic limbs using only their thoughts.
The animals could feed themselves with their prosthetic arms, which were controlled by brain activity.
The study has proved that fewer than 100 tiny electrical signals generated in the specialized area known as the 'motor cortex' can command even complex arm and hand movements.
Small probes, the width of a human hair, were inserted into the monkeys' primary motor cortex - the region of the brain that controls movement.
With these probes,  the monkeys were able to use their brains to continuously change the speed and direction of their arms.
In a Nature journal the authors claimed that their work will eventually be able to help amputees and paralyzed patients.
The scientists’ goal is to better understand the complexity of the brain.
The success rate of the experiment was 61%.

The scientists are now working on a brain-controlled arm and hand prosthesis that will perform, look, and feel like a natural human limb.

Tamara C. Wanner, Michèle D. Gasser, Livia Rubi



Resources:

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7423184.stm
www.wikipedia.com

Lenny Montana & s_mestdagh at www.flickr.com