With the development of technologies, the joint efforts of designers and doctors are already able to give a full life to any disabled person, replacing a sick or lost organ with a multifunctional prosthesis.
Biomechanics studies the movement of a living organism, as well as mechanical processes in systems, organs and tissues. The history of this science began in ancient times - let us recall at least a well-known Italian doctor named Galen. The descendants have enjoyed the fruits of his labors for over a thousand years.
It is believed that the first prostheses appeared in ancient India and Egypt. Of course, they were extremely primitive and did not replace the lost limb in the best way. Similar prostheses include pirate hooks along with wooden stumps.
In some cases, the unfortunate was content with only a purely cosmetic effect, for example, an eye made of glass could mask the loss of the present, but did not fulfill its functions. It was only in the 19th century that promising hand prostheses appeared, in which the elbow joint was bent, fingers clenched and unclenched.
Breakthrough in biomechanics
The twentieth century brought prosthetics to a higher level of development. The doctors of the last century had the opportunity to replace not only limbs, but also internal organs. So in 1937, the pioneer of transplantation V. P. Demikhov implanted an artificial heart in a dog. Despite the fact that the animal did not live long, the viability of the idea itself was confirmed. These days, artificial arteries, valves and hearts come in a wide variety of designs.
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Now all over the world, doctors carry out numerous operations to install hearing aids and an artificial eye lens, fusion of broken bones and replacement of worn out joints. Humanity is on the verge of solving such problems as the creation of artificial organs and limbs capable of fully restoring all previously lost functions.
Mechanical limb
In the past century, some technologies have developed so that manipulators have been created, the capabilities of which exceed the physical capabilities of the human hand. Under the control of microprocessors, they have long been used in industry. Naturally, the idea arose of creating perfect mechanical arms and legs.
Today, we can say with complete confidence that things have moved off the ground. The British company Touch Bionics is rightfully considered the pioneer in the development of unique bionic prostheses. Using government support, she made prostheses for veterans, and since 2007, the company has moved into the commercial sector with its branded line of limbs.
Prostheses made by Touch Bionics contain special sensors. They record the weakest electrical impulse arising from the contraction of the muscles of that part of the limb that managed to survive. The prosthesis responds to muscle work and performs programmed movements. After some exercise, the patient moves his fingers freely, picks up objects and adjusts the force of compression.
American scientists working at Johns Hopkins University have also achieved impressive results. Their patient, who lost both arms 40 years ago, was able to perform simple movements with the help of prostheses - take a cup or a newspaper, switch TV channels on the remote control.
Still, myoelectric technology has its drawback. The lack of communication with the nervous system allows you to perform only programmed actions. Scientists from Sweden at Chalmers University of Technology are fighting this problem. Here bionic limbs are created, which are controlled by a mixed principle: partly using myoelectrics, and partly by capturing electrical signals from the nervous system. The latter is achieved using electrodes that are implanted into the body. This technology allows for intuitive control of the prosthesis.
At the same time, scientists around the world are working on the creation of leg prostheses. These artificial limbs do not need mechanisms for fine motor skills of movements, but there are also some nuances here: a person must forget that he has a prosthesis. This result has not yet been achieved, but nevertheless there is some progress. With prosthetic legs, people have already made many kilometers of hikes, walked to the upper floors of the tallest skyscrapers, in a word, they did what even some healthy people could not do.
See the world again
Developing a device that can replace human vision is the most difficult task. The day is still distant when a device will appear that will fully compensate a person for the loss of vision, but in this direction some steps have already been taken. An artificial retina is being actively developed. The disease of this particular organ becomes the cause of vision loss most often.
American researchers have already presented a device called "Argus 2", which may become the prototype of the first bionic eye. Glasses with a built-in camera send a signal to the instrument's computer. There it is processed and transferred to the receiver, where it is transformed into a command for electrodes implanted in the eye. The electrodes stimulate cells in the optic nerve and retina, which makes it possible to restore vision.
Modern Argus models have only 60 electrodes, which is extremely small. But even such a device during clinical trials made it possible for completely blind people to navigate in space and read large letters. American scientists are going to increase the resolution of the created apparatus and, ultimately, achieve the restoration of vision by 100 percent.
Nano Retina has its own approach to solving this problem. Its specialists have developed a kind of sensor with a resolution of 24X24 pixels, which is connected directly to the optic nerve. The implant is powered through special glasses that project infrared radiation onto it. The implant converts the pixel data into electrical impulses, which allows the brain to parse it.
The described system has not yet undergone clinical trials, but according to the calculations of the developers, it will show good results, and it will be much easier to implement it than the Argus model.
In due time, bionic prostheses will turn into an everyday reality, and this is already the first step towards the emergence of cyborgs - a unique combination of machine and man. But that will be a completely different story.