Bionics….
The technological advancement that reshaped lives.
What are Bionics, Their Importance and Impact?
First of all “Bio” meaning LIFE and “Nics” meaning ELECTRONICS. It is a term used to categorize objects that connect life with electronics. Bionics is the study of electronic and mechanical system that function similarly if not completely like a living organism or a part of a living organism.
The original purpose of a Bionic Limb was to replace a limb that a person has lost which may have been lost due to an accident, disease, trauma or congenital defect. Bionic Limbs have become a huge technological advancement as they have changed the lifestyles of disabled people, allowing such people to engage in daily activities and be provided with many new opportunities they thought they could never have.
How do they Work?
Bionic limbs work by detecting signals from the user’s muscles. When a bionic limb is being used, the user will flex their muscle above the bionic limb, causing the sensors in the bionic limb to pick that up flex, react and respond by giving a reasonable output which would be the appropriate movement of the bionic limb based on the flex of the muscle above.
The main component of these bionic limbs are the sensors located in these bionic limbs. Without these sensors users would have a minimal if not no control over their bionic limbs. The function of these sensors is to receive the signals from the user’s muscle that are being sent to the bionic limb.
However as we know, the world is always changing, always advancing, always improving. So now, many bionic limbs even have built-in computers that are able to detect signals from the user’s muscles. Some bionic limbs also have both! These bionic limbs have a built-in computer with sensors that are implanted into the remainder of the bionic limb stump. These bionic limbs are much more advanced as they allow the user to control the limb with their mind, making it much easier to operate and control the bionic limb.
Types of Bionics:
When it comes to Bionic Limbs there are 3 main types.
- iLimb/iLimb Digits
- Symbionic Leg
- BiOM Foot
The iLimb and iLimb Digits are lightweight bionic arms that provide their user with finger joints and hand movement. This allows the user to use this artificial hand as if it was a real hand for daily activities and one of the most interesting features is that it allows the user to grip objects tightly with more user control. Just like the iLimb there is something known as the BeBionic Hand, which is a technological improvement compared to the original iLimb. The BeBionic hand was created by RSL STEEPER. The BeBionic hand is very interesting as it uses a technology known as myo-electric sensing. The BeBionic uses muscle signals on the skin of one’s residual limb to control its movement. Now we have the like-like motion, but we still need the life-like appearance, and so a silicone covering in one of nineteen possible shades of human skin and customized nails can be placed on one’s BeBionic hand thanks to LeTourneau Prosthetics. But the coolest part of the BeBionic hand is the ability to add personalized and customized fingerprints!
The Symbionic Leg is a bionic leg that helps its user run and walk, but you probably would’ve known that from the name itself. What makes this bionic leg interesting is how it uses a microprocessor leg and knee in order to provide seamless movement to the user. The symbionic leg is used to provide a complete and entire leg for a person.
Lastly, we have the BiOM foot, an advanced bionic foot that mimics human tendons and muscles in order to provide the ultimate and most natural-like human movement. This bionic foot is equipped with advanced technology such as the BiOM ankle system for seamless running and walking.
The Evolution of Prosthetics and Bionics:
It is crazy to see the evolution of prosthetics and bionics. We started off with crutches, then moved on to walking sticks, next wheel chairs, then worked our way up to the first prosthetic limb, then powered wheel chairs, next advanced prosthetic limbs, the first bionic limbs and now even more advanced bionic limbs with built-in computers! With an evolution like this who knows what lies in the future for bionic limbs. Its not only the evolution of the object itself, but the evolution of the purpose and function of the object too!
Bionic limbs are also helping with the evolution in brain computer interface (BCI) as they are an example of BCI itself. In order to make the bionic limb move, our brains interact with a computer inside the limb itself thus helping research and the advancement of BCI.
The Future:
The future of Bionic Limbs is vast, wide and plentiful. Researchers have already begun experimenting with new bionics such as the bionic ear and bionic eye! When will they be on the market and available to the public is the question but it is rumored that they will be on the market very soon, especially the bionic eye for a whopping $150,000!
Another experimentation is the bionic leaf, a possible technological advancement which is being researched by Harvard University. The bionic leaf is an artificial leaf that efficiently splits water into hydrogen and oxygen gas by pairing silicon. By merging the artificial leaf with a genetically engineered bacteria that eats hydrogen gas, a bionic leaf is created which creates liquid fuels such as Isobutanol and will aid agriculture in the developing world. So who knows, in the future the bionic leaf could become a common item in everyone’s backyard garden, or we could have fields of bionic leaves. The future is unknown and exciting and I can’t wait to see what will come.
References:
Powell, A. (2018, February 1). Harvard’s bionic leaf could help feed the world. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/01/harvards-bionic-leaf-could-help-feed-the-world/
curious. (2017, September 26). Bionic limbs. Curious. https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/bionic-limbs
NCBI — WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. (n.d.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7047902/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Bionics | Definition & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/bionics
Hand Prosthetics | i-LIMB Artificial Hand | Bionic Limbs. (2021, February 11). LeTourneau Prosthetics and Orthotics Southeast Texas. https://www.llop.com/ilimb/