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/