A 50-year-old Swedish woman who lost her hand in a farming accident has been fitted with a cutting-edge prosthetic leg that has proven to be revolutionary.
The Bionic Hand is based on innovative technology that connects directly to the user’s bones, muscles and nerves. – Create human-machine interfaces, AI allows us to translate brain signals into precise and simple movements.
The woman who received the bionic hand, Karin (full name withheld), currently has limited sense of touch, but is able to move each of her five bionic fingers individually with a 95 percent success rate.
After living without her right hand for 20 years, she is now able to perform 80 percent of normal daily tasks, including preparing meals, picking up items, zipping and unzipping clothes and bags, and turning doorknobs and screws. Became.
Additionally, after receiving the prosthetic hand, Karin’s excruciating phantom pain, which she said felt as if her hand was going through a meat grinder, decreased significantly.
“I have better control over the prosthesis, but most importantly, I feel less pain.” To tell Mr. Karin.
“We need a lot less medication today.”
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The international team of engineers who worked on the bionic hand recently shared Karin’s success in a magazine scientific robotics.
Researchers from Sweden, Italy and Australia say this is the first time a robotic hand equipped with internal electrodes has shown long-term survival potential for below-the-elbow amputations.
“fact [Karin] Her ability to comfortably and effectively use a prosthetic leg in daily life over the years is a promising sign of the potential life-changing potential of this new technology for people facing limb loss. It’s proof. ” To tell Robotics engineer Max Ortiz-Catalan led the research at the Bionics Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and the Bionics and Pain Research Center in Sweden (which he helped found).
When Karin was first fitted with a prosthetic leg three years ago, researchers say the technology was unique. Other commercially available prostheses did not incorporate sensors. To date, most models have sensory electrodes on the outside of the robot, just under the “skin.”
However, this practice weakens the quality and quantity of sensory signals sent and received by the robotic hand, limiting its control. This problem has plagued prosthetic technology since it first arose nearly 60 years ago.
in the last 10 yearsOrtiz-Catalan has been working on a better solution that relies on “osseointegration.”
This basically means that once the implant is placed in a person’s bone, bone cells will grow tightly around it.
“This integration is so strong that you can actually attach the prosthesis directly to the skeleton.” explain Ortiz Catalan video.
When this technique is combined with reconstructive surgery, Ortiz-Catalan claim He can “truly integrate biology and electronics.”
To provide an interface for Karin’s prosthesis, two implants were placed in her ulna and radius. Muscle grafts from her leg were then connected to these implants, giving them something to reattach to the severed muscles and nerves in the stump of Karin’s arm.
Importantly, these muscle grafts contain electrodes to amplify the signal to the interface.
Because the prosthesis is fixed directly to the bone, the researchers say it is much more comfortable for patients to wear than traditional “ball-and-socket” prostheses.
Additionally, the sensory electrodes are implanted inside, rather than outside, the robotic hand, ensuring that direct neural stimulation is consistently and reliably perceived by the hand.
This new technology improved Karin’s grip accuracy by nearly four times compared to a traditional prosthetic leg.
The prosthetic hand is named Mia Hand and was developed by an Italian company. Prensiliaspecializes in robotics and biomedical devices and is funded by the European Commission.
“We, at the Bionics Institute, are excited about the next generation of bionic limb technology, taking into account what Professor Ortiz-Catalan and his team of collaborators have achieved so far, and in particular its potential to help reduce phantom limb pain. We are excited about its continued development.” To tell Robert Krupax, CEO of the Institute, said:
Ortiz-Catalan is currently working in Ukraine, providing expertise to amputees during the war.
This study science robotics.
