Bionic arm

 Introducion

A bionic arm is a prosthetic device that replaces a missing or impaired arm with an artificial
one that can perform some or all of the functions of a natural arm. It is used for people who
have lost their arm due to injury, disease, or congenital defect. According to a 2021 article,
about 30 million people worldwide need prosthetic devices, but only 20% of them have
access to them1. The main purpose of this essay is to explain how a bionic arm works, how it
is fitted, what are its applications, and what are the new developments in this field.

 Working principleA bionic arm works on the principle of bioelectricity. It has three
main components: a socket, an electronic control system, and an actuator2. The
socket is the part that fits over the residual limb and connects the bionic arm to the
body. The electronic control system is the part that detects and interprets the signals
from the nerves and muscles in the residual limb and sends commands to the
actuator. The actuator is the part that moves the artificial hand or fingers according
to the commands from the electronic control system2. There are different types of
bionic arms, such as myoelectric, neural-controlled, or brain-computer interface
(BCI), depending on how they receive and process the signals from the body3.

 Application

A bionic arm may be suitable for people who have lost their arm above or below the
elbow and want to restore some or all of their arm functions. Some of the benefits of
using a bionic arm are that it can improve mobility, dexterity, independence, self-
esteem, and quality of life. Some of the limitations are that it requires surgery, fitting,
training, maintenance, and regular use. It also carries risks of infection, rejection,
pain, or malfunction3. Some of the alternatives to a bionic arm are cosmetic
prostheses, which look like natural arms but have no function; body-powered
prostheses, which use cables and harnesses to move the artificial hand or fingers; or
osseointegration, which involves implanting a metal rod into the bone of the residual
limb and attaching a prosthesis directly to it3.

 New developments:

One of the new developments in bionic arm technology is the use of 3D printing and
bioprinting to create more customized and affordable devices. For instance,
researchers at University of Toronto have developed a 3D-printed bionic arm that
costs less than $500 and can be controlled by muscle movements. Another
development is the use of sensory feedback and haptic technology to create more
realistic and interactive devices. For example, researchers at Johns Hopkins
University have created a bionic arm that can provide touch sensations to the user
through electrical stimulation of the nerves. A third development is the use of
machine learning and artificial intelligence to create more intelligent and adaptive
devices. For example, researchers at Imperial College London have created a bionic
arm that can learn from its own mistakes and improve its performance over time.

 Conclusion
 In conclusion, a bionic arm is a prosthetic device that replaces a missing or impaired
arm with an artificial one that can perform some or all of the functions of a natural
arm using bioelectricity. It is used for people who have lost their arm due to injury,
disease, or congenital defect. It has advantages such as improving mobility and
quality of life but also disadvantages such as requiring surgery and maintenance.
There are new developments in bionic arm technology that aim to make it more
customized realistic interactive intelligent and adaptive using 3D printing/bioprinting
sensory feedback/haptic technology machine learning/artificial intelligence. These
developments may offer new opportunities and challenges for people with limb loss in
the future.

 Reference:
1. grammarly.com

2. geeksforgeeks.org

3. masterclass.com