So you want to know a little about how prosthetics will contribute to our, in my opinion, twisted future? Alright. To put things in perspective, I’ll start with taking you back to where it all started. The supposedly first prosthetic was made a long time ago. All the way back to the Egyptians. However they were made of fiber and are believed to have been worn for a sense of “wholeness” rather than having any actual function. Later on, in The Dark Ages, the hand hook and the peg leg saw the light. They where mostly made of a mix of wood, iron, and bronze and outside of battle they were reserved for the rich. In the mid-late 1500s things got more advanced. An above-knee device that was a kneeling peg leg and foot prosthesis that had a fixed position, adjustable harness, knee lock control and other engineering features was introduced. This is where things started to remind of today’s devices.
The biggest leap within prosthetics, which happened just recently, is the “bionic” limb. The integration of digital technology, giving the user some sense of cooperation with the prosthetic limb. With integrated motors and circuits that picks up on the electrical signals from the brain, the patient is able to actually move the limb with only his mind. This may sound amazing, and it is, but what’s the very essential ability still missing, that sets it far apart from a biological limb? The sense of touch. The ability to feel what you’re touching. Being able to feel the textures of an object, and to touch and feel your loved ones. What if this is possible? I will come back to this in a later post.
Human Enhancement - Prosthetics 