About a year ago, 25-year old Aimee Copeland was riding a makeshift zip-line when the line supporting her suddenly broke. She fell and was injured; her calf was deeply cut and had to be closed with 22 staples. Over time the condition of her leg worsened, causing her leg to turn purple. Doctors then concluded that Copeland's injury had contracted a flesh-eating bacteria known as necrotizing fasciitis. Copeland had to undergo surgery to amputate both of her hands, feet, and her left leg.
After a year of recovery, Copeland spent several weeks with a company called Touch Bionics, which makes prosthetic arms/hands for those with upper limb deficiencies. Touch Bionics had decided to give Copeland a pair of their bionic hands called "i-limb Ultra Revolution", free of charge dues to the fact that Copeland's insurance wouldn't cover the cost of the hands, which are $100,000 a piece. At Touch Bionics, Copeland learned how to function her new hands, which can perform about 25 different movements. She now has regained the ability to do simple things such as fixing her hair or picking up small objects. Additionally, many of the hand's movements can be controlled through an i-Phone app. Touch Bionics also make prosthetic fingers, and skin called "living skin" that is designed to cover prostheses to give it a more natural look.
What do you think about the future of prosthetic limbs? Do you think that expensive prostheses such as these will eventually be available to the general public?
2 comments:
I think prosthetic limbs have a promising future. There are many people who could benefit from them. In this situation, without them, Aimee would not be able to do anything for herself. Hopefully as more companies design and create prosthetics such as these, their prices will be lowered to help people who cannot afford them at their current price to be able to have them. The world of technology is constantly coming up with new ideas and I'm sure in the near future there will be more affordable prosthetics available.
I agree with Savanna--I'm sure prosthetic limbs will continue to advance and will play a significant role in the lives of many in the years to come. Based on the rate of progress technology has been benefiting from recently, it seems likely that one day having a prosthetic limb will feel almost like having the limb you were born with. There are already some (albeit ones that are not as high tech) that are not going for the "natural" look, however: http://ewok-gia.tumblr.com/post/47339619402/alternative-limb-project
Kind of interesting, I think.
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