Everyone can become a cybernetic organism using advanced bionic extensions that replace a missing body part. Technologies used to read nerve signals or muscle movement creates favorable environments for developing artificial robotic limbs. Since the word bionic appearing in 1958, the possibility to develop new and advanced prostheses increased in time and now can be used almost like a biological limb.
Human body was designed to adapt in any condition. But adapting to new conditions and the integration of new components are two different things. The integration of artificial components in the body is a difficult task because the human body is sensitive to materials found in nature except titanium.
The easiest way to control an artificial limb is to use the brain. To use the brain, researchers develop systems to read the signals from the brain. The brain sent signal to the amputated member as if there, while complex algorithms turn the signals in artificial limb movements. This is not the most advanced system. The most advanced system should provide feedback for the brain. Almost all artificial limbs developed until now provides only visual feedback, a generation of robotic limbs which will disappear and replaced by these new advanced bionic limbs reviewed in this article.
The technologies used are so advanced that the day when the patient will forget that it has an embedded arm or leg is closer.
Table of Contents
Toggle01. BeBionic 3
Bebionic reached the third generation of reliable, speedy and versatile bionic hands developed in U.K. by RSLSteeper of Leeds. Using myoelectric system, the British researchers design one of the most powerful artificial limbs available on the market in our days. Bebionic 3 can be used for almost anything the patient needs to do. It is built from strong and durable materials that do not require special treatment. It can be used daily and with natural and closer hand movements.
The five fingers are moved independently with an optimized weight distribution of motors that is translated into a lighter and comfortable bionic hand. The five electric motors which move the fingers are controlled by microprocessors with the task to monitor the position of each finger separately. This constant monitoring of each finger creates a good environment for a precise control over movements.
Handling an egg is a delicate task and can be easily done using the ‘Proportional Speed Control’ system integrated in Bebionic 3.
Every day activities required a lot of hand positions. The company allows the user to choose between 14 grip patters and hand positions used to perform a large number of tasks.
The functions of the hand can be customized according to user preferences using technologies integrated in the hand like bebalance software and wireless technology. The robotic hand can be left automatically to grip the objects. The auto grip feature controls the hand and adjusts the position of fingers when a gripped object is slipping.
The hand is designed to resist in manipulating objects with a maximum weight of 45 Kg. This weight value ensured handling of weights as well as rising up from the bottom of the user.
Bebionic 3 work quietly and his structure provides resistance to harsh impacts.
I have to say some words about what means a myoelectric hand. A myoelectric hand receives electrical impulse from patient’s forearm muscles which are amplified and sent as commands to the bionic hand. This is the easiest way to control a robotic hand. The user can use its brain to control the robotic arm, just as its control the natural hand.
Bebionic 3 can be improved with additional components like batteries, electrodes and cables, wrist options, and many other components.
02. Thought-Controlled Bionic Hand
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden design a prosthetic arm controlled by thought. The idea was to build an artificial arm controlled in the same manner like a biological hand using the electrical impulses from nerves and muscle. The artificial hand movements are controlled in a natural and intuitive way using a bidirectional interface connected to the human body.
This is not he first and also not the last prosthetic arm developed, but it has something which all of the artificial limbs doesn’t have, at least for moment.
This bionic hand can be attached to the body using a titanium implant directly to the skeleton. This operation is called osseointegration and gives directly access to nerves and muscles. Titanium implant was used because this material is not rejected by the human body. Many tests were made since 1960s when Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark develops the first implant.
The patient controls the prosthetic arm with his own brain signal. Each finger can be controlled independently, each finger has it own electrical motor which provide movements. The brain signal is transferred to the arm via nerves and is captured by the electrodes implanted in the arm. The electrodes read the signals from nervous system and muscle and are sending to the bionic arm using the titanium implant. This control system is designed to ensure an efficient control of the artificial limb. Many bionic limbs use electrodes placed on the skin to read the signals from the muscle. This is not the good solution since the electrodes position is changed once with the skin moves.
For this project the researchers read the electrical impulse directly from the source using implants to link the nerves and remaining muscles. The more stable captured signal is decoded with sophisticated algorithms and translated in commands for artificial hand.
Another advantage using this type of implant is the feedback for patient. Instead visual feedback when an object is taken in the hand, the patient receives a real feedback since the neural pathways are stimulated.
The technology can be extended and used also for legs. The patients could take part in routine activities daily.
03. Bionic Hand with Sense of Touch
The latest bionic hand from this article was developed at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and was designed to create real feedback for patient. A biological hand provides feedback in real-time due to nervous systems that send and receive signals from the brain. Based on biological system, researchers uses electrodes to link the nervous system with the bionic hand. The electrodes are used to receive electrical signals and also to send electrical signals to the brain. This system to send and receive signals provides a real-time sensory feedback when the hand is used.
The patient has to use only their thoughts and the bionic hand is working. When an object is grasped the hand sends to the brain signals that imitate the real hand of the body. These signals create feeling and increase dexterity for patients.