computer science
technology
BY Rana andary
Rana Andary
Rana Andary
Cyborgs: Fact or Fiction?
source
Science Daily
6
ATTENTION ALL HUMANS. A CYBORG MAY BE LIVING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Now, many of us may not take this seriously because cyborgs only exist in science fiction, right? Wrong. Recently, three Austrian men underwent a process called bionic reconstruction, allowing each of them to operate a robotic prosthetic hand using only their minds.
Bionic reconstruction is a technique developed by Professor Oskar Aszmann at the University of Vienna. The technique combines certain muscle and nerve transfers, elective amputation, and the replacement of a limb with advanced robotic prosthesis which have sensors that answer to the muscles’ electrical impulses. All of this allows the for the restoration of the limbs’ high-level functions.
In order to receive bionic reconstruction, a patient must first go through about 9 months of cognitive training in order to activate muscles and use electric signals to control a virtual hand. After becoming an expert at the virtual movements, the patient must work on using a hybrid hand, which is attached to their non-functioning one. The “dead” hand is then amputated and replaced with a prosthetic one, and three months later the bionic hand begins giving the patient better functional movement, less pain, and an improved quality of life.