Technologies developed for the reconstruction of female charms will be used to create bionic amputated limb prostheses.
When Angelina Jolie removed her breasts, she was 37 years old. She did this as a preventive measure, because due to a genetic predisposition (her mother, grandmother and several other relatives died from breast cancer), the probability of developing breast cancer in the actress was 87 percent. Several ladies followed her example. And in the whole world, breast cancer is diagnosed annually in 2 million women. Many of them, like Angelina Jolie, do bust reconstruction after amputation. Although the breast, thanks to the implants, takes on its former shape, but at the same time it loses its sensitivity. Even in the case of Jolie, whose nipples were preserved by doctors during surgery.
Dr. Stacy Lindau of the University of Chicago believes that women experience a high rate of sexual dysfunction after such surgeries.
“Reconstructive surgery is mainly guided by aesthetic considerations,” says Dr. Lindau. - But the breast is a very important sexual organ for the fair sex, we know countless women whose sex life has suffered dramatically from the loss of bodily sensations after breast removal. This means that it is necessary to reconstruct not only the shape of the bust, but also the function.
Schematic diagram of the work of the bionic breast.
To create a bionic breast, Stacey attracted her colleague at the University of Chicago neuroscientist Slimane Bensmay, he was engaged in the fact that "taught" robotic amputated limbs to transmit tactile sensations. For this, an ingenious combination of sensors was used. The developers decided to use the same principle to create a sensitive artificial bust.
In February 2019, this project received a grant of $ 380,000 from the American National Cancer Institute. A year later, the researchers published an article in the journal Frontiers in Neurorobotics outlining their ideas.
During breast reconstruction, they suggest installing pressure sensors between the implant and the nipple. They will be connected to an electronic circuit that converts these signals into electrical impulses, which in turn will stimulate the residual intercostal nerves and eventually the woman will feel the man's touch. Now scientists are working with materials scientists specializing in the creation of soft electronics. It is important that the bionic chest does not feel different from the real one and that the sensors and sensors do not behave like a foreign body. The only unresolved problem so far is the transfer of the sensation of warmth from touch - this is a key factor in sexual experience. The fact is that thermoreceptive nerve fibers are very small and not susceptible to electrical stimulation.
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“The most interesting thing for me in this project,” says Slimane Bensmaya, “is the scale of the problem that he solves. When I was in the business of amputees, we helped tens of thousands of patients. Here we are talking about millions of women. This not only expands the number of people the technology can help - it is much more likely that someone will invest money so that we can go from laboratory experiments to widespread clinical use. Ultimately, the technological breakthrough will benefit not only women after mastectomy (breast removal), but also patients who need the ultimate bionic arm, controlled by the power of thought.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV