Biomechatronics
Imagine metalic fingers that close around yours in near-perfect synchrony and tighten their grip as you try to pull away. The European Union project lab is developing such a prosthetic hand capable of elicting natural sensory signals.
The nionic hannd, with its wired joints discreetly covered by a synthetic glove, will be implanted in human arms. Linked to nerves by tiny electrodes and biometric sensors, it would help patients sense the position and movement of the hand, as well as stimuli from the outside environment.
Biomechatronics combines biology, mechanics and electronics, and focuses on the interacivity of human organs (including brain) with electromechanical devices. Applications are many, Including pacemakers, brain-controlled electronic muscle stimulators for stroke and accident patients, cameras that can be wired into the brain to let blind people see, and microphones wired into the brain to let deaf people hear.
Prosthetic knees with built in programmable microprocessors help limbs move naturally. Also, knees are being developed with built in sensors that measure how far the knee is bent and the force the user applies while walking. The PC chips analyses the sensor data to create a model of the user’s gait and adapt the movement and resistance of the knee accordingly. sensors distributed beyond the knee joint detect not only the mechanical forces of the body but also neural signals from muscles near the joint.
