The history of prosthetics is a long and oftentimes curious testament to the creativity and resilience of humanity. We first find records of them around the year 1500BC when Egyptians took it upon themselves to craft fiber-based prosthetics, some of which are even thought to have been functional. Since then, the history of prosthetics has moved from semi-functional fiber to solely aesthetic metal limbs, to legs made out of various materials attached to harnesses that allowed limited movement, passing through the well-known peg legs and hooks. Post-World War II heavy investment and technology innovations have produced radical improvements that have made prosthetics more functional, comfortable, and realistic. Researchers have struggled with providing prosthetics with a sense of touch, but not anymore.
Over the past fifteen years, a biomedical engineering team at the University of Utah have developed a prosthetic arm that allows users to feel what they are touching inspired by Luke Skywalker's prosthetic arm featured in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The arm, known as the LUKE, is a battery-operated device connected to a portable computer that allows users to control it through thought by sending signals through sensors in the hand. These sensors feed impulses through existing nerves and straight to the brain that then interprets these signals, telling the arm to move, how much pressure to exert, and how it feels when it does. The arm also senses temperature and pain, areas which researchers are working towards improving. Additionally, they are looking to expand their work to prosthetics for amputations above the elbow. The next step is to make the prostheses wireless so that, pending federal regulatory approval, by 2021 participants in the study can take it home.
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