Just like the movies!

Top: Arnold Schwarzernegger as the T-800

Bottom: Claudia Mitchell with her prosthetic arm

Have you ever seen Terminator 2? The answer to this question is most likely yes. In this awesome movie, I won't go into detail but there were two different sides to the story. The first side was based around the question: what if we could use technology to help us. The second side was based around the question: was what if the technology turns against us. In this blog I will explore some of the possibilities of helping technology.

Many of the brave soldiers who return from active duty, return with severe injuries such as the loss of a limb. DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is doing active research for these soldiers who lost their arms or legs. I recently saw video footage on YouTube from Claudia Mitchell and I got more interested in this technology, because this is the future of prosthetic limbs. To be able to use a prosthetic limb such as hers, surgery is required. During this surgery they reconnect the nerves which are left over and still intact, with muscles and skin. This method is developed by Dr. Todd Kuiken at Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Dr. Gregory Dumanianat Northwestern University Division of Plastic Surgery and is called targeted muscle reinnervation. Once the operation is successful, a special prosthetic is being build, which can connect to these newly replaced muscle endings. And after a lot of training, people are able to do everyday chores.

So how can technology help us?
This is possible because new technologies are enabling us humans to create and invent new things. Which lead to producing smaller components so these prosthetics are getting more lifelike both visually and functionally.

Below I posted the video.


A quick overview of the prosthetic arm.


Links:
The movie contains a scene in which the T-800 (Arnold Schwarezenegger) shows his robotic arm. (warning, not for small children!)Watch the clip here.
DARPA's prosthetic challenge nets first prototype
Cutting Edge Prosthetic Arms
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
More about DARPA
Report from Washington Post
Story in telegraph.co.uk
Special from CNN
ABC news report
Claudia Mitchell, Bionic Hero
Targeted reinnervation

UPDATE
Just a YouTube clip