Hello lovely readers welcome to the last part of totally armless, in this final issue we will be recapping and reviewing the up and coming technology of robotic prosthesis.

In this blog we spoke about the advanced motions that robotic limbs have started to be able to achieve. In the video below, the company open bionics have developed a robotic hand that manages to perform delicate tasks such as using tweezers to pick up a screw and even tasks that involve heavy lifting such as lifting a chair or a full shopping bag. Though the implementation on an amputee has yet to be seen, this advancement in precision will help shape the future of this technology.

This prosthetic also has proportional control. This means amputees can choose how much power to move their fingers with, this affects the speed and force of grip. So, an amputee can hold a bottle and choose to squeeze the bottle harder if they think the bottle might slip. 

Up until this point robotic prosthesis is still under heavy development and therefore the cosmetics for this technology is not currently under consideration, and solely in development for practical use and comfort for the user. Though because of this obvious robotic limb being shown in the public, because of the transparent difference between flesh and metal, it may draw the gaze of people around them. Which gives off a science fiction sort of theme, but with the growing diversity of the people, this difference in appearance might not be taken with as much stigma as it would have in the past.

In terms of  this kind of prosthetic I have only touched upon the base of this subject, other features and implementations of this have advanced to such an extent that by connecting the robotic limb to the nerves, it can send electrical stimulation to the brain, allowing the user to emulate the feeling of being touched, and enabling the amputee to restore their missing feeling commonly found with standard prosthesis. According to DARPA, the sensors and motors have a 100% accuracy when measuring how much pressure and the location of where they were being touched, developing a near realistic sense of sense. The ability to feel is a key feature in this field, as day to day tasks require that sense of feeling in order to perform such tasks with a high accuracy and "feel the room".

This is a golden age of technology where science fiction such as robotic limbs are becoming a reality, in this age, technological advancement has no limit and continues to rapidly grow. With this, Thank you all for reading this, I am done.

References

http://www.openbionics.com/blog/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/sep/14/robotic-hand-wired-directly-into-brain-feel-again-darpa

Welcome back to the penultimate issue of totally armless.

In last issue we talked about the negatives and limitations of the current technology regarding robotic prosthesis, this week we will be discussing the benefits and further application of this technology.

Robotic prosthesis has many different application and not only a more technical approach to plastic prosthesis. Due to the range of motion available, it allows for more complex limbs and even organs to be recreated. There have been a great deal in advancements in prosthesis, to the point where synthetic limbs can do precise maneuvers such as grabbing a key, inserting into a keyhole and turning the key, which is taken for granted for those with full motor skills but for a prosthetic to perform is a great achievement for this industry.Therefore rather than giving a platform for stability, it can recreate a wider range of daily tasks and even potentially, extend the human lifespan, through the use of robotic organs or devices that assist damaged organs.

The military have many application and needs for this technology, so much that are funding many projects involved in this topic. Majority of amputees are those in the military scene and therefore any sort of advancement in this field will be greatly appreciated. Robotics in this situation can be used to give soldiers limbs that instead of replicating human actions can be used for the purpose that is required such as an arm with a firearm attached.

A benefit of any kind of prosthetic is that the loss of a limb can be cause trauma to the person not only physically but the emotional distress that can come from it. By having a replacement limb as a replacement it allows for them to feel "normal" again being able to posses all of their limbs even though not all organic. By alleviating the emotional insecurities it will allow them to live a more full life without having to worry as much about public opinion.

If the technology for robotic prosthesis develops further, it will most likely lead to robotic limbs having better performance than organic limbs and therefore those who have these technologically advanced limbs will have an advantage when performing most activities. Additionally although more costly, when human limbs become damaged and injured it takes surgery and time in order to repair it, and is much more susceptible to infections and cause pain to the user. Whereas with robotic limbs repairs can be fixed more easily and will not cause any pain to the user, and if the robotic limb becomes irreparable, it can just be replaced.

Thank for reading, in next weeks final issue of totally armless, we will be going over robotic prosthesis as a whole and look into news stories about this technology.

https://infogr.am/JenBelisle-061286
http://justinsellmansitproject.blogspot.co.uk/

Hello readers, welcome back to part 2 of totally armless, in this part I will be going through the negative side of robotic prosthesis.

Robotic prosthesis offers a large amount of advantages however as always there are also downsides on the other side . Some of the downsides of robotic prosthesis is that majority of the time, in order to incorporate robotics more surgery is required. In most cases further amputation is required to properly fit the robotics to the appropriate nerves. As part of the operation process, a brain chip is also required in order to communication with the robotic limb. This has to be implanted on the brain which may cause scar tissues as the brain heals around the chip.

Up until this point robotic prosthesis is still under heavy development and therefore the cosmetics for this technology is not currently under consideration, and solely in development for practical use and comfort for the user. Though because of this obvious robotic limb being shown in the public, because of the transparent difference between flesh and metal, it may draw the gaze of people around them. The amputee may already have insecurities about their new prosthetic and the constant glare may further increase this insecurity.

With all of the additional surgeries and the implementation process, it makes the average cost for surgery (for a robotic hand) around $11,000, which might cost someone an arm and a leg. Another issue in regards to the price is that robotic limbs are not insured by any of the health organisations, which is especially problematic for those with a low income.

Even though it gives the amputee the ability to make movements which they have lost, there are currently some flaws in the technology that is currently out. Such flaws are that the user has to manually send signals to the limb to recreate movement which is a difficult task and require a great deal of training and rehabilitation. The prosthetic itself is quite heavy and requires an equally large power source to operate. Another set of flaws with robotic prosthesis is that it requires  a lot of maintenance and, being robotic it has to be charged and doesn't mix well with water.

So even though there it is a much needed advancement in prosthesis, because this technology is still under development there is going to innately be many issues that need to be solved before it gets widely released and commercially available. The main issue for when development is finished and globally available is going to be the cost required for having a robotic limb.

Thank you for reading and in the next series of totally armless we will be going over the benefits of robotic prothesis, stay tuned readers.

References

Disadvantages - Mitchell robotic limbs (no date) Available at: https://sites.google.com/a/cortland.edu/mitchell-robotic-limbs/disad (Accessed: 26 August 2016).

JSellman and profile, V. my complete (2011) ‘Robotic Prosthetic limbs’, 28 February. Available at: http://justinsellmansitproject.blogspot.co.uk/ (Accessed: 26 August 2016).
News (no date) Available at: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/1051a/Current_Tech/default.html (Accessed: 26 August 2016).

Robotic Prosthesis The beginning

Hello readers, welcome to Totally Armless.

In this first part in this four part series, we will be talking about the constantly progressing technology and implementation of robotic prosthesis.

What is robotic prosthesis?

Prosthesis is the attachment of an artificial device, usually to replace a missing body part, in most cases lost through, trauma, disease or genetics. In the past, the replacement of body parts were primarily static in motion, and didn't offer the same sort of movement that was previous able. This inflexibility, meant that in the case of prosthetic legs, it caused sent the vibrations from the impact of walking back upwards towards the rest of their body, causing discomfort.

However in the case of robotic prosthesis, the artificial device is made of robotics, which allows for much greater movement that can mimic the motions of the missing body part, reducing the impact from daily tasks.

How is it implemented?

In order to mimic the motion of the missing body part, the robotic limb has a controller that is connected to the user's nerve and muscular systems. Which sends intention commands from the user to the actuators of the device, and interprets feedback from the mechanical and bio sensors to the user. The actuator mimics the actions of a muscle, producing similar force and movement through the use of motors. This means that even if the body is paralysed, as long as the brain can send signals to the nerves, connected to the actuator, this can enable movement of robotic limbs. The process of controlling robotic through the controller connected to the nerves, requires a great deal of training and rehabilitation, which limits the ability to control multiple robotic limbs simultaneously.

As previously stated there were design limitations of passed implementations, such as lack of motion to accommodate daily activities. Quite recently most of the robotic prosthesis required a harness which became uncomfortable to wear after extended periods of time and, limited the range of motion due to how it was mounted.

However there has been a recent improvement in the technology used, allowing for a more natural and fluent range of motion, without the use of a harness to restrict the motion. To overcome the need for a harness, a process called osseointegration has replaced it Osseointegration is the process that fixes a titanium implant into the marrow space of bone in the residual limb. This process is ground breaking development and allows for further improvement in the field of prosthesis. The main concern is with the distribution of this new technology, as it is currently only prototypes are available in the laboratory. Much of the technological advancements that are being researched need to be tested before they are able to be deployed, for ethical  reasons.

To conclude the field of robotic prosthesis is constantly growing and being developed to further mimic human motion and assisting amputees in performing day to day activities. The technology does not just include engineering but also relies heavily on the cognitive and biological functions of the patients.

References

Macdonald, C., 2016. Man moves his robotic arms with his THOUGHTS. Daily Mail, 13 January. Available at: <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3397823/Man-moves-robotic-arms-MIND-brain-controlled-prosthetic-attaches-implant-patient-s-bone.html> [Accessed 9 August 2016].

@matthewshaer, F. and Shaer, M., 2014. Is this the future of robotic legs? Smithsonian. Available at: <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/future-robotic-legs-180953040/?no-ist> [Accessed 9 August 2016].

Murphy, M., 2015. This mind-controlled prosthetic robot arm lets you actually feel what it touches11 September. Available at: <http://qz.com/500572/this-mind-controlled-prosthetic-robot-arm-lets-you-actually-feel-what-it-touches/> [Accessed 9 August 2016].