Military research advancements in prosthetics

Military research advancements in prosthetics

Current 'prosthetic' academic, industrial and military research ignores body powered technology and design of a body powered mechanical stable and proficient hand grip for the most part (notable exceptions see below).

That of course is nothing but negligent from point of view of the many users that depend on such systems. There are far more pressing problems that prosthetic academic, industrial or military research could care about than bionic high tech such as bionic sensor feedback systems. And that in particular,  as if even these miss the mark by far.

So obviously, current academic, industrial or military prosthetic projects - such as: myoelectric “bionic” arms with sensory feedback - are not geared towards users but may just represent meager attempts of a society that is largely detached from their disabled members, and through such gadget activism that society tries to “feel good about themselves”.

“Look how much we are doing for you”. By and large, they are not doing that for us but for the most part they are probably doing that for themselves. Gadget technology is always nice and cool. But is it necessary or even helpful for an amputee that lacks part of an arm, and that can see?

Ask yourself this simple question (assuming you are an upper extremity amputee): “When I go and do everything necessary to buy, prepare and eat breakfast, will this piece of [prosthetic research item] provide invaluable orthopedic support for my body powered arm?”

If the answer is a clear 'yes' here, you may be dealing with real upper extremity prosthetics. The Becker Lock Grip hand or the V2P Prehensor clearly are such products.

Then you may be dealing with society's feel-good program. Or a clever business idea. Or you may be dealing with a clever excuse for information technology engineers to have some fun.There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but don't call it anything else. If people such as Geoffrey “Peter Pan” Ling of the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program call body powered arms “something out of Peter Pan”, they prove absence of awareness, technical understanding, respect and knowledge to a degree that seals the issue right then and there. That then, is anything but real upper extremity prosthetics. It's media entertainment, it's science fiction, it's great story telling, it's model ship construction for adults and it certainly seems to beat fishing - but it is not what I call prosthetics.

During the Civil War, for example, approximately 21,000 major amputations occurred in the Union Army alone. Fortunately, since that time, there have been advances in medicine, prosthetics, and technology that have helped make it more possible for today's war amputees to regain their independence and return to “normal” lives.

During World War I, there were 2,635 major amputations among American soldiers. By the time the United States became involved in World War II, the treatment of choice had become the open circular technique in which the wound was left open at the time of the initial surgery and the residual limb was ...