Artificial+Limb-Bonnie

An artificial or bionic limb is a type of prosthesis that replaces a missing extremity, such as arms or legs. The type of bionic limb used is determined largely by the extent of an amputation or loss and location of the missing extremity. Bionic limbs may be needed for a variety of reasons, including disease, accidents, and congenital defects. A congenital defect can create the need for an bionic limb when a person is born with a missing or damaged limb. Industrial, vehicular, and war related accidents are the leading cause of amputations in developing areas, such as large portions of Africa. In more developed areas, such as North America and Europe, disease is the leading cause of amputations.[1] Cancer, infection and circulatory disease are the leading diseases that may lead to amputation.[2]

The bionic limb was invented in 1961 by a man named Dr. Vanghetti. The person to develop the first bionic limb is Japanese. In 2005, they invented a computer-controlled machinery through bones device that can mimic the wearer's gait and posture. Jesse Sullivan is the Tennessee man who received the first bionic arms at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago after losing his in an electrical accident in 2001.

What is the Bionic Arm?

The bionic arm is an electrical prosthetic arm equipped with battery powered motors and gearboxes. What makes it different than other prosthetic devices besides its electrical circuits is that the human mind controls the arm's movements. The goal of developing this bionic arm is to replicate the human arm in its functionality. A human arm can move by a single thought of the brain. It responds, for most individual, instantaneously to the human mind depending on response time. The bionic arm responds to the human thought almost as quickly but also depending on a person's response time. Response time is the time a person takes to response to something. For example, some people take longer to response if they leave their hand on a hot stove than others. A person's response could be contributed to many factors including exercise, everyday life style, health, etc. The current bionic arm allows amputees to gain function of amputated arm(s) allowing them to move the arm in full ranges of motion. With this accomplishment, an amputee can return to their life with arms.

Ambroise Paré invented articulated joints in the 1500s. Artificial hands of the time were quite beautiful and intricate imitations of real hands, but were not exceptionally functional. Upper limbs, developed by Peter Baliff of Berlin developed upper limbs in 1812 for below-elbow amputees and Van Peetersen developed upper limbs in 1844 for above-elbow amputees.

References: [|http://www1.pacific.edu/~s-nhong/index2] []

=Introducing Jesse Sullivan, the World's First "Bionic Man":= = http://www.ric.org/research/accomplishments/Bionic.aspx =