The Innovation of Prosthetics - Essay Example

? Contents Introduction 3 Evolution of Prosthetics 3 Future Developments 6 Initiatives Taken to Increase Awareness 6 Conclusion 7 Bibliography 8 Introduction Prosthetics are one of the most important innovations in the history of mankind that showcases the desire of humans to do better. Prosthetics were initially developed to replace a body part that was missing. The development of prosthetics has evolved over the centuries and today a prosthetic device is not just used to replace a missing body part but to enable people to have more active life. That is, the innovation in the development of prosthetics is aimed at giving the amputee more control and feel over the device which makes him feel that it is as good as a natural body part. The whole evolution of prosthetics over the centuries is driven by the desire for improving the artificial devices’ anthropomorphism (Pitkin, 2009). Anthropomorphism can be best defined as the expressing of human motivations and feelings in non-human entities (Clark, 2011). In this case, it is to allow the prosthetic to serve as an equivalent to the natural body part doing all activities and functions that could have been performed with the natural body part. This report looks into the innovation in the field of prosthetics. It discusses the evolution of prosthetics over the centuries. The expected future developments in the field are also discussed along with initiatives taken to increase the awareness among people. Evolution of Prosthetics Prosthetics has evolved from its primitive form to today’s highly sophisticated form over the centuries. There have been numerous ideas and innovations that have been introduced in the field of prosthetics. Some of them have been very successful and they have been expanded new forms and design. Fixed-position foot is an example of a successful innovation. On the other hand, some of them have not worked out as anticipated and have been sidelined. The use of iron in prosthetics is an example of a poor innovation that did not work out. The very first prosthetics were the peg legs and hand hooks that were designed in and around 400 BC. These prosthetics have evolved over the years and lead to more advanced and sophisticated fittings and castings. Today’s prosthetics are highly individualised to meet the specific needs of the person (Norton, 2007). The earliest of prosthetics rather than function mainly served the purpose of wholeness. They were made fibres. The next step in the innovation of prosthetics was the use iron and bronze. The core of the prosthetics consisted of wooden and the exterior was made of bronze and iron. Slowly the dimension of purpose was introduced (Norton, 2007). The purpose was still trivial such as to enable the amputee to walk, hold shields in the battle, etc. The prosthetics served only one purpose and was not very effective and there was very little attention paid to function. Prosthetics were used mainly in battles for soldiers and only the rich and famous in the society could use hand hooks and peg legs for daily functions. The next step in the evolution was the better designs and the use of gears and springs. The designing was boosted by the contribution from people of various trades. Watchmakers played an important role in the introduction of gears and springs in the prosthetics. This gave a new dimension to prosthetics as they were added with specific intricate internal functions. The period of renaissance saw a rebirth of innovation in prosthetics. The mew materials such as copper, steel, iron along with wood were used in the making of prosthetics (Norton, 2007). Prosthetics were now designed with the intent to make it more easy and multifunctional. People now started using prosthetics to perform activities such as signing the name, opening the purse, removing the purse, etc. Engineering features started to become a integral of prosthetics. Engineering features that made into the design of prosthetics were fixed positions, harness that could be adjusted, mechanisms that could control knee lock, etc. These features are present even in today’s prosthetics but in a more refined and complex forms. The most important innovation that changed the course of the evolution of prosthetics was the replacement of heavy materials such as iron with the lighter ones such as paper, leather and glue (Norton, 2007). Next was the invention of the prosthesis. Unlike the leg prosthesis, this opened up the real opportunity of walking. Soon there were new changes made in the design which gave a smoother appearance to the prosthesis and also could stimulate movements that looked natural like a real limb. The functionality became the main focus of prosthetics and numerous ideas and innovation were introduced (Norton, 2007). One of them was the use of Aluminium in the place of steel which not only made it lighter but also increased its functionalities. Today’s modern day devices were a result of military companies entering the prosthetics market after the Second World War (Crawford, 2007). Today’s prosthetics are made of much lighter as they are made of aluminium and plastics. Various other composite materials are used in the making of prosthetics. The focus of the designing of the prosthetics today is functionality. With latest technology today’s prosthetics comprise of computer chips, microprocessors, modern robotics, etc which allow the amputee to perform his regular activities as they were performed with the natural limb. Unlike the past, today’s prosthetics are not merely focussed on appearance and basic functionality, but to regain complete functionality of the amputee. Future Developments Prosthetics is a field that is dynamic and evolving continuously. There are numerous challenges that need to be overcome and this will lead to new advances in the field. New ways of fabricating prostheses need to be identified. Also new components need to be used to make the devices function better (Carroll & Edelstein, 2006). Smart prosthetics is fast catching up will definitely be a major stakeholder in the prosthetics of the future. Smart prosthetics consists of devices that can assist the human mind and body to perform better (National Academies, 2007). Bionic devices will replace the current devices in the future where in the prosthetic that will match the properties of the tissue that it is replacing. That is, instead of artificial prosthetics natural tissues will be used. These natural tissues will be produced by tissue engineering (Johnson & Virgo, 2006). Initiatives Taken to Increase Awareness There are various marketing initiatives that have been taken by the companies that produce prosthetics. Also many government initiatives are in place to encourage people to make use of these devices. Effort has been put from various quarters to make these affordable to those who need it. Paralympics also plays an important role in promoting and increase awareness among people. Paralympics is a multi-sport event for those who are physically challenged. Athletes with the help prosthetics are able to compete in this event and achieve great feats. This has immensely increased awareness among people ad helped to promote the use of prosthetics. Conclusion Prosthetics has evolved over centuries to attain its current form. Anthropomorphism is one of the key drivers for continuous innovation in the field of prosthetics. This paper has successfully discussed the evolution of prosthetics from a device used to only serve the purpose of wholeness to the multi-purpose device it is today with the purpose of making life easier and normal for the amputees. The future of prosthetics is very exciting with great progress being made in smart prosthetics and bionic limbs. Also various initiatives have been taken to increase awareness among people about prosthetics. Paralympics is a great promoter of prosthetics worldwide. Bibliography Carroll, K. & Edelstein, J.E. (2006). Prosthetics and patient management: a comprehensive clinical approach. NJ: SLACK Incorporated. Clark, T. (2011). The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and the Environment. NY: Cambridge University Press. Crawford, C.S. (2007). Ghost in the machine: A genealogy of phantom-prosthetic relations. MI: ProQuest Information and Learning Company. Johnson, F.E. & Virgo, K.S. (2006). The bionic human: health promotion for people with implanted prosthetic devices. NJ: Humana Press Inc. National Academies (2007). Smart prosthetics: exploring assistive devices for the body and mind : Task Group summaries : Conference, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies : Irvine, California : November 9-11, 2006 : National Academies Keck Futures Initiative. Washington: National Academies Press. Norton, K.M. (2007). A Brief History of Prosthetics. inMotion. Vol 17. Iss 7 Online: Available at: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/nov_dec_07/history_prosthetics.html.Accessed on 14 January, 2011 Pitkin, M.R. (2009). Biomechanics of Lower Limb Prosthetics. Berlin: Springer. Read More