Bionic prostheses are advancing apace. This latest device is complex, but boasts impressive functionality. \u201cWe modified a standard-of-care prosthetic with this complex bionic system which enables wearers to move their prosthetic arm more intuitively and feel sensations of touch and movement at the same time,\u201d said Paul Marasco, a researcher involved in the study. \u201cThese findings are an important step towards providing people with amputation with complete restoration of natural arm function.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While robotic prostheses that feature a sense of touch have been created before, this newest device also includes a sense of movement, so users can feel the sensation of their arm moving through space. This is achieved by small robots that vibrate, activating kinesthetic sensory receptors in the muscles of the residual limb. Becoming more aware of their limb appears to greatly enhance a wearer\u2019s ability to use it. For instance, users were able to perform tasks with their new bionic limb without watching it, just like they would with a regular arm, something that has been difficult for upper-limb prosthetic users before now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\u201cOver the last decade or two, advancements in prosthetics have helped wearers to achieve better functionality and manage daily living on their own,\u201d said Marasco. \u201cFor the first time, people with upper limb amputations are now able to again \u2018think\u2019 like an able-bodied person, which stands to offer prosthesis wearers new levels of seamless reintegration back into daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technology is not for everyone, as users must have undergone targeted sensory and motor reinnervation, where a surgical procedure reroutes sensory and motor neurons to the skin and muscles of the residual limb, allowing better communication between the limb and the prosthetic. So far, the device has been tested in two such patients, and their performance with the limb has been impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps what we were most excited to learn was that they made judgments, decisions and calculated and corrected for their mistakes like a person without an amputation,\u201d said Marasco. \u201cWith the new bionic limb, people behaved like they had a natural hand. Normally, these brain behaviors are very different between people with and without upper limb prosthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Study in Science Robotics<\/em>: Neurorobotic fusion of prosthetic touch, kinesthesia, and movement in bionic upper limbs promotes intrinsic brain behaviors<\/p>\nVia: Cleveland Clinic<\/p>\n
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