Alec Parsons

UWRT 1103
Mr. Campbell
November 11, 2015
Playing God: Making limbs and lives
The worlds of engineering, medicine, and robotics are constantly evolving. Vaccines,
MRIs, CAT scans, lasers, drones, robotic nurses, and even prosthetic limbs are all products of
this evolution. As the science and engineering behind medicalinal technologies and techniques
progress and adapt, so do the practices, problems, and patients involved in these procedures. A
rapidly evolving concept of medicine and science is the need for more advanced prosthetic limbs
for people who lose the use of their limbs in the military, the workforce, or are even born without
them. A result of this concern is research and advancements in the robotics field to create a
prosthetic limb that functions solely off the patients own thoughts as if it were their original
arm, leg, hand, or foot. There are many questions that remain unanswered to the general public,
for instance, what technology in this field already exists? How quickly are the ideas and
prototypes of advanced prosthetics, and nerve technology being tested and implemented into
everyday life?
The problem with most basic prosthetic limbs for both upper and lower body amputees is
that the limb is bulky and noticeable, which can cause the wearer to become self-conscious about
their appearance towards other people. The standard upper body prosthetics do not allow for full
range of movement and do not bend and flex like a real appendage. This makes for an
inconvenience as the limb gets in the way and does not help with everyday tasks,s, ggiving the

reason for a muscular or mind controlled robotic prosthetic even more necessary. Lower body
prosthetics do not need to be able to move and bend as much as the upper body limbs allowing
the standard prosthetics to be more suitable. However the standard lower body prosthetics for
amputees missing a leg or foot do not enable the patient to participate in many of the sports they
could beforehand, leading many athletes like racer Mike Schultz and medical professionals like
racer Mike Schultz likeand Francois Van Der Watt to design and create prosthetics to allow
athletes to continue competing in their sports (How Advanced Orthoticsrtons Orthotics).
Prosthetics like Mike Schultzs Mot Knee and Versa foot allowed him as a patient to
compete in motocross sports such as snowmobile, all terrain vehicletv racing such as fourwheelers, and dirt bike racing. Along with other prosthetics amputees like Olympic athlete Oscar
Pistorius, who uses flex-foot blades, designed by Francois Van Der Watt for sprintingto continue
.competing. SchultzMike used his prosthetics limbs that he created to win both silver and gold
medals in adaptive motocross competitions and. He also started BioDapt to manufacture and sell
the prosthetic to athletes. Oscar Pistorius had both of his legs amputated and used the flex-foot
blades to compete against able-bodied competitors in the 2012 London Olympics. These two
advancements opened the door for even more athletes with amputations to begin competing in
competitive sports at the pro level (HowrtonsAdvanced Orthotics). There have even been
advancements in the rehabilitation of lower body function for the feet and legs of stroke patients
and people who suffer from abnormalities in their walk or stance.
In 2009, a knee-ankle-foot orthosis was proposed. This system wais designed to improve
patients who walk with a gait or suffer from limited lower body motor function abilities to be
rehabilitated. This system is different from others in the past as it is controlled by the movement
of muscles in the leg. Unlike the other rehabilitation and prosthetics covered earlier, the

KAFOKnee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis brace is not for amputees. It is made to fit over the existing
limb like an exoskeleton (Dzahir). A system such as this is just as important as the advancements
in prosthetics for amputees as the patients who use this equipment also suffer the limitations set
by losing the full use of their legs. According to Dzahir tThe KAFO has three primary sensors
that control the movement of the exoskeleton and indirectly the patients leg. The KAFO is in a
since an exoskeleton for the leg and not the entire body which allows it to correct problems with
the leg. First there is a sensor on the ankle piece that is used to measure the movement and
change in the angle of the ankle joint. Next is an internal unit measurement sensor that measures
the orientation of the leg and foot as the patient is walking, or running (Dzahir). This helps the
KAFO calculate how much to adjust the foot to correct the abnormality of the patients walk.
Whether that abnormality be a gait, looseloss of feeling on one side of the body from stroke, or
other head/heart injury, or even defects such as a person being bow-legged the sensor can
measure and correct the persons step. The third sensors measures how much force the person
applies to the ground and their foot when taking a step (Dzahir). This is important for the
machine because if it makes a calculation for a correction thinking that the patient applies 200lbs
of force when taking a step when really the patient only applies a 100lbs of pressure the machine
could over correct and make the problem worse or in the worst case scenario overcorrect and
break or dislocate the ankle.
In 2012, a prototype prosthetic arm that could move for the patient by flexing two
muscles in the forearm was given out to be tested by many patients. One of these testers made a
video where he went into detail about how the arm, named the, Terminator Arm, operated. The
arm was created by a company called RLSteeper that is committed to creating innovative
prosthetic, orthotic, and assistive devices. The amputee had lost part of his arm in an accident at

work and was given a Terminator Arm to test and so he made the video as a demonstration of
the arm and what it could do. The arm has two sensors that respond when the user flexes one or
both of two muscles in their forearm. The arm then reacts to turn the wrist or bend the fingers
into a desired form to perform an everyday task; this also allows the patient to loosen or tighten
their grip on objects as they use them. The arm comes with preset patterns such as a closed fist
with an index finger up for typing, a grip for holding a cup or glass, and a phone grip to name a
few (Ackland). The arm has a sleek design to it about the same size as the amputees other arm
and is made of carbon fiber to make it light and durable. The preset patterns are precise enough
that he can even peel vegetables. The video was made in 2012 almost four years ago which begs
the question; how far have we come since then?
In February 2015, after nine years of research the United States Advanced Research
Project Agency (DARPA) showcased the DEKA arm system named Luke as in LukeSkywalker. During the showcase an army veteran used the DEKA arm to scale a rock climbing
wall using nothing but his brain to control the arm. The arm is battery powered for now, and is
controlled using electrode sensors (US Government Develops). The sensors are connected to the
motor cortex of the brain and the arm itself to allow the user to control the prosthetic using
nothing but their own will power. Justin Sanchez who is the Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency project manager stated the following in a press conference:
Prosthetic limbs that can be controlled by thoughts are showing great promise, but
without feedback signals traveling back to the brain it can be difficult to achieve the level
of control needed to perform precise movements (US Government Develops).
In early September however DARPA announced that they had completed the circuit. The
agency attached the DEKA arm to a paralyzed veteran and blindfolded him. They then

proceeded to touch the fingers on the arm one at a time and with almost 100% accuracy the
veteran was able to identify when his fingers were touched and which of his fingers were
touched, even though it was the fingers of the prosthetic arm and not his own fingers. The
researchers even tried to trick him by touching two of his fingers at the same time but the man
was still able to tell the difference (US Government Develops). This meant that the paralyzed
veteran was actually feeling the researchers touching his fingers as if they were his own. The
sense of touch was achieved by attaching electrodes to the sensory cortex of the brain and then to
electrodes and pressure sensors on the fingertips of the arm itself providing a connection between
the brain and the arm. By combining the use of the electrodes on the sensory and motor cortexes
of the brain, the paralyzed veteran was able to both move and even feel with his arm.
When someone mentions robotic exoskeletons many people imagine the futuristic robotic
armor from the recent movie starring Tom Cruise Edge of Tomorrow, or the exosuit from the
popular video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, or even the iconic Marvel comic
Ironman and people think that that technology is far beyond us at this point in time. This just
isnt true, however, as exoskeleton suits have been in production since before the 1990s as a tool
to help construction workers lift loads beyond their normal capability. The suits have recently
been used for something even more impressive the rehabilitation of a paralyzed patient. The
latest suits are being developed by Esko Bionics originally for DARPA to help soldiers. These
suits have been repurposed to help victims of stroke, brain trauma, and even spinal injuries to get
out of wheelchairs and back to walking. These suits even have a function called variable assist to
allow patients to control how much of their own strength they use when in the exoskeleton
(Grush, Loren). Though this technology is impressive it is not on the market for purchase by
individual patients as the suit still requires the aid of a personal trainer to operate. However,

research is being done to make the suits more conventional and to get them on the market. One
patient was quoted saying Walking was something you immediately realize that you missed
says one patient and tester ((Grush, Loren)). While this is a technology originally advanced and
researched for the use of the military for the simple purpose of making stronger, faster, more
protected soldiers, it was able to be modified to work in the medical field as well. So jJust as the
military and soldiers them-selves are viewed as a weapon to be feared and that cant do anything
but destroy, a lot of good can come out of the development of this technology. Not just in the
medical field but in construction, rescue, law enforcement, space travel;, the options are endless
as long as the natural curiosity and innovativeness possessed by the human race continues to
thrive.
Many advancements have been made in the world of robotics, medicine, and prosthetics
from the clunky outdated standard prosthetics to the mind-controlled upper body prosthetics.
Prosthetics have evolved in the sports world, the world of the military, and even the everyday
world as products like the Terminator Arm and the Luke-Skywalker Arm continue to be
adapted. If in just three years we were able to go from a prosthetic arm that used preset patterns
and muscle movement to be used to prosthetic arms that can be moved using the mind and even
provide the wearer with a sense of touch once again,; who knows where we will be in 50 to 100
years from now? As well as the making and developmentWe are already making and developing
of full body suits that give able bodied men the ability to pick up as much as 400lbs of weight
and while only feeling around 25lbs of the weight. and These same exoskeleton suits can even
give a paralyzed patient the ability to walk again with minimal aid. How long until we have suits
that can give a person who is paralyzed entirely from the neck down the ability to walk unaided
by anyone? However, what we do know is that as we continue to make advancements we are

able to give people back the use of their limbs, and essentially we are giving them back their
lives, so we must keep evolving and adapting the technology.

Works Cited
Ackland, Nigel. Terminator Arm Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 5 November
.2012.Web. 27 OOctober. 2015.
Dzahir, Mohd, and Shin-Ichiroh Yamamoto. "Recent Trends in Lower-Limb Robotic
Rehabilitation Orthosis: Control Scheme and Strategy for Pneumatic Muscle Actuated Gait
Trainers." Robotics 3.2 (2014): 120-48. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
How Advanced Prosthetics Are Changing the World of Sports and Its Athletes. Hortons
Orthotics and Prosthetics Providing a Lifetime of Support. Hortons Orthotics and Prosthetics,
25 Sept. 2014. Web. 27. October. 2015.
Grush, Loren. "Robotic Exoskeletons Are Here, And They're Changing Lives." Popular Science.
Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
US Government Develops Mind-controlled Prosthetic Arm with the Sense of Touch. Science
Alert. Science Alert. 14 Sept. 2015. Web. October. 2015.