Prosthetics

Marina Matta

3/18/17

John Overton High School

Mrs. Spear

2,488
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Prosthetics are artificial devices that are used for replacing or restoring certain body parts.

Prosthetics has evolved and grew over the course of the years. From amputation to a toe being

replaced to legs, arms, and so on, its growing and improving by the second. Engineering has a

lot to do with this improvement, because as the world is improving and evolving, technology and

products has to also improve with every generation. And this ties in with the evolution of

prosthetics, so how has prosthetics evolved over the years?

During the early 1860s amputation was something that was really rare, but when the civil war

started amputation became something normal. Amputation is an arm or leg being removed from

someones body because of a terrible injury or infection. As the civil war went on amputation

grew more And more, doctors at that time were not trained or well educated on how to perform

surgical procedures, what they knew best to do was pull out teeth. So at the time of the war when

many people started coming in wounded and injured, the easiest and fastest way to cure the

problem or the injury was to just get it amputated, even with the easiest procedure. About three-

fourths of the operations performed during the war were amputations; about 60,000 of the

surgeries performed during the Civil War were amputations. They also didnt know at that time

the importance of cleanliness and sanitation, they knew little to nothing about germs and

bacteria. So for example bandages would have been used on one patient and then taken off and

used on another one without being sanitized or cleaned. That is the reason why the simplest and

easiest injuries to fix were hard to repair because it had been infected with germs and many other

bacteria that effected it and brought it to the point where it had to be amputated.
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Believe it or not the first and oldest prosthetic or artificial body part was a toe. Dated back

between 950 and 710 B.C. in the year 2000 researchers in Cairo, Egypt, discovered what is

believe to be the oldest artificial body part, a prosthetic toe made of wood and leather. This

artificial body part was found attached to a 3,000 year old mummified Egyptian noble woman.

The big toe believe it or not was important to the Egyptian people back then, it was necessary for

then so that they could be able to wear the traditional Egyptian sandals. It is weird for them to

not just design another shoe a closed toe shoes perhaps. But it seems like as If this was just a part

of their identity, if an Egyptian woman wasnt complete then she wouldnt be perfect and then

nobody would want her, so they would do anything to get that complete look. One of the most

famous prosthetics was dated back in ancient Rome; General Marcus Sergius was his name. In

the second Punic war, general Marcus Sergius lost his right hand and was given a prosthetic one

to replace it. It was designed out of iron, to make him be able to hold his shield and continue

fighting. Also in the early sixteenth century Doctor Ambroise Pare was the first to introduce a

prosthetic hand, and a leg with a locking knee joint. All of these advancements as well as his

ways of putting on or attaching the limbs is still being used today on modern prosthetics. There is

also the famous James Edward hanger, he was an engineering student who lost his leg during the

civil war, and he later designed an artificial leg for himself. In 1861 he founded a company that

manufacture prosthetic legs, and this manufacture is all over the world today.

The twentieth century has been the greatest advancements for prosthetic limbs. News ways

were created for using materials such as plastic and other devices for stronger support and

lightweight plus a more realistic look, than the earlier invention that were made out of iron and

wood making it harder to move. One of the most interesting developments has been the

myoelectric prosthetic limbs. Myoelectricity involves using electric signals from the persons arm
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muscles to move the limb. The research began for this in the late 1940s in West Germany, and by

the late 1960s myoelectric devices were available. The typical prosthetic device consists of a

custom fitted socket, an internal structure, knee cuffs and belts that attaches it to the body, also

prosthetic socks that cushion the area of contact, and in some of them there would be realistic-

looking skin. Prosthetic is made out of plastic; the socket is usually made from polypropylene.

Other metals such as titanium and aluminum lightweight metals have replaced heavy weight

metals such as steel. Newest invention in the manufacture has been the use of carbon fiber to

create that lightweight pylon. Legs were traditionally made out of wood such as maple, hickory,

basswood, willow, poplar, and linden, also with the use rubber. Even today they still use some of

the products that were used back then just with a little improvement. Now the feet are made out

of urethane foam with a wooden inner keel construction. The type of plastic that would be used

is polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylics, and polyurethane. There are special prosthetic socks

and they are made of numeral soft but yet very strong fabrics. The socks back then use to be

made out of wool just like many of them now a day is also being made, but it can also be made

out of cotton or other synthetic materials physical appearance is important to many of the

amputee. That is why the majority of endoskeletal prostheses are covered with a soft

polyurethane foam cover that has been designed to look like the shape of the amputees limb.

That foam cover is then covered with a sock or artificial skin that is then painted to match the

amputees skin color.

The prosthetic leg is divided into two categories, above the knee/ trans-femoral amputation

(AKA), or a below the knee/ trans- tibial amputation (BKA). And both legs require a whole

different method. Not all prosthetic look alike, they have actually created different types of

prosthetic legs that you can get. First there is the normal leg the one with the foot at the bottom
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of it and they have designed it to where you can be able to bend the knee, because the whole

movement of the leg comes from the bending of the knew. So instead of the amputee limping or

even learning how to walk differently to adjust to the way of how the prosthetic leg works, they

can now walk normally and nobody will notice the difference. But the problem for this prosthetic

leg is that you can really go running, hiking, you cant really do sports with it because that leg is

designed to do its only designed to walk and do the normal things. But that is why they created a

sports legs, something for athletes because when those people who are always active lose their

leg and they cant go back to the way they use to they get really affected by it. The running blade

is what it is also called; this leg has been the number one requested leg for amputee runners. The

manufacture of the running blade is a flat carbon blade, which attaches to a mechanical device at

the base of the leg or socket. How this foot is used is that it uses kinetic energy like a spring

allowing the amputees to be able to apply pressure on the ground and jumping or spring into a

running position. Swimming is also a well-known sport among the amputees. A swimming ankle

and a foot are both very alike. One of the legs is called Aqualeg. The Aqualeg cover allows for

the water to enter into the cover to allow for neutral buoyancy. Buoyant means that it tends to

float in water. An Aqualeg prosthesis leg can be used for all different types of water activities so

for example scuba diving. There are also other options like a leg that you can add a fin to it or a

waterproof C-leg. Another type of sports leg is a special rock climbing leg. It is called the klippa

leg. The klippa leg features a small shoe size with a pointed toe and textured heel, also made

with very hard rubber to provide protection and stability for the amputee.

New inventions for prosthetic to make it much more realistic for patients is prosthetic limbs

controlled by the mind. Now a team of researchers are claiming another significant invention,

prosthetic arms whose fingers move by the mind, all the way down to the pinky. Many numbers
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of the mind controlled prosthetic is designed to allow the amputee to carry out complex tasks.

One of these designs is bionic hands that hold objects, and this allows the amputee to feel a sense

of touch. Researchers at John Hopkins University have built and experimented with the new

design of being able to move the fingers with the mind. The team experimented with a male who

had epilepsy, he wasnt missing an arm but he was already set to undergo a brain mapping to

determine the problem of his seizures. The neurosurgeon implanted an array of 128 electrodes

over the part of the brain controlling hand and arm movement. They then instructed the male to

move individual fingers, while also following along on a purpose made computer program to

monitor which part of the brain emitted an electric signal as he did.

Even though prosthetic maybe interesting the way it works and operates, but for others like

kids for example it might be probably the worst thing they have ever experienced, they start

feeling out of place. That is why Carlos Arturo Torres the creator IKO. Torres is a Chicago based

Colombian designer who developed IKO during a six month internship at Lego future lab. He

now creates fun, new and exciting ways for prosthetic limbs for kids. Torres built a set if white

plastic parts, so that a child could easily swap out of the four fingered claw into a digital

spaceship. Torres said, My friends in psychology used to tell me that when a kid has a disability,

he is not really aware of it until he faces society, thats when they have a super rough encounter.

That is why Torres started designing prosthetic for kids; he leaned towards kids between three

and twelve years old. During his time at Lego he was very fascinated by how they design new

things and the manufacture, and that is when he came up with the idea of a Lego prosthetic arm

for kids. Lego sponsored Torress trip to Bogota to Cirec, a rehabilitation center to observe

prosthetic wearing patients. At the center is where he met Dario an eight year old who had a

congenital malfunction that left him without a right arm. One day he watched him draw a ten
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armed robot in his notebook, then he started to explain how the robot had different features and

also mentioned how the robot had a bionic eye, he also mentioned how he is the only one that

can build it because he is the only one that knows what he wants. And that is when Torres started

thinking of how Lego could be knitted with prosthetic. IKO lets the kids build and design their

own Lego creation on a pop and lock connector terminal on the forearm component. The base

which connects to the upper arm of the missing limb contains a battery, a processor, and

myoelectric sensors that detect muscle movement and transfers it to whatever is on the end of the

IKO arm. The self-esteem in those kids sky rocketed and it actually made the other kids want a

prosthetic hand too. Before making the Lego spaceship that attaches to IKO, Torres asked one of

Darios friends about his condition, the friend said that he felt bad for him. But after he had made

the spaceship hand Torres went back again and asked the same question to the same kid and he

said that he wanted one.

Prosthetic isnt only for humans it is also for our furry friends. There are different ways in

which prosthetic is used on animals, it doesnt have to be the leg it can also be their beaks. For

example in December 2015 graylag goose was dropped off at an animal rescue center near Sao

Paulo, Brazil. She was missing most of her beak. The volunteers and the workers fed her baby

food, but the process took a lot of time and left the goose to be completely dependent on her

human caregivers. The rescue contacted a local dentist, Miamoto, who specializes in 3D facial

and dental reconstruction to make a prosthetic beak for the goose, The first beak wound up to be

too big and falling out. So the team went back to the drawing board on their computer and

designed another model, also printed with a type of biodegradable polymer made from corn and

sugarcane. They installed the beak and now the goose can eat again and it doesnt depend on any

human to care for it. Amputation for animals is a difficult thing, but it is sometimes needed to get
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rid of painful and life threatening conditions. It can be severe trauma, cancer, or debilitating birth

defects these are some of many reasons why an animals limb would be amputated. Many

animals adapt well with the loss of a limb. Animals dont appear to experience any emotional

sense of loss. Some rehabilitation experts have noticed that there is a long and short consequence

to dogs functioning on three limbs, first their tissue breaks down, second degenerative joint

problems in remaining limbs, and these could cause a shortage in a dogs life. That is why many

of the materials used on a human prosthetic design have now been also applied on animal

prosthetic. [Link] has given an example of the kinds of advancements that has been

made in the world of prosthetics for dogs, Prosthetics are made using thermosetting laminate

plastic and closed cell thermo foams, providing an intimate fitting for optimal weight bearing

comfort and functional use.

Our world has been drastically changed through prosthetics. Throughout time they have been

quickly advancing and evolving to meet peoples needs. There was a time where amputation was

completely looked down upon because it would cost a limb. However, that isnt the case

anymore. Prosthetics now, with a little practice, can send a person right back to their regular lives

after an amputation. All in all, prosthetics will continue to advance and become better, and as

they do they will continue to provide people with second chances back at a normal life.
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Conde Nast, 28 July 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

Themselves." Design Futures. Guardian News and Media, 22 July 2015. Web. 15 Mar.

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15 Mar. 2017.
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