Meeting The Bionic Man

Bertolt Meyer was born with about an inch of arm below his left elbow. He uses a prosthetic arm known as the i-limb. Held on by suction using a silicone sheath, the i-limb gives the prosthetic a tight seal where it connects to the rest of his arm.

The newest version of the i-limb features a very apt bionic hand. Each finger has its own motor, with two electrodes inside the forearm that react to signals given by the muscles above the prosthetic limb. An app that can be used from an iPhone gives wearers of the i-limbwith a simple swipe of a touchscreenthe option of 24 different programmed grips. The wrist can even rotate 360 degrees.

Thanks to energy-efficient microprocessors, better batteries and the latest software, prosthetics (the i-limb, as well as artificial organs such as a pancreas or lung) promise easier use on the part of those who need them.

Recently, a team led by Meyer has gathered artificial organs and prosthetic limbs to create what they call a Bionic Man. A feature in this months Smithsonian magazine highlightstheir efforts, as well as the i-limb.

A documentary on the Bionic Mans construction is due to air on the Smithsonian Channel on October 20, 2013.

Engineers enabled many of the Bionic Mans human-operated parts to function with no body. A Bluetooth connection is used to control the i-limbs, all working together and controlled remotely by computer. The Bionic Mans face is an exact replica of Meyers.

While many of the artificial organs cant function in one human in unison (often because of issues with blood clots caused by the introduction of something foreign into the body), the managing director of the project, Rich Walker, claims that the engineering team was able to reproduce over 50 percent of the human body.

Many of the technologies used in the Bionic Man are still very far from being perfected, but in the decades to come, advancements will continue to emerge, and the replacement of body parts is likely to become more feasible.

Great achievements in medicine call for strong foundations in both science and math. Are your students aware of the broad and unique opportunities available to them through a career path in medical technology, engineering, or another area of science? How are you preparing students to become the innovators of tomorrow?