The ideal conditions for the implementation of a bionic prosthetic arm

Amputations are extreme measures, performed mostly when a patient’s life is at stake. Incurable infections, Cancer, and accidents can enforce the pain and suffering of enduring an amputation. Today, bionics is the most potent remedy for the physical and mental ordeal of an amputee. But the limitations are pretty defined in the case of bionic implementations. The bionic systems rely on the Electromyogram output of residual limb muscles for commands. An amputation resulting in the absence of relevant muscles also renders the amputee ineligible for wielding a bionic enhancement. Additionally, the psychological and neurological aspects of an amputee’s health determine the nature of future impact a bionic arm might leave.

This article will try to discuss the limitations and ideal parameters for the implementation of a bionic enhancement.

Length of the residual limb

The length of an amputated limb determines the state of residual muscles. The onboard computer of a bionic prosthesis receives commands from those muscles and executes them according to its hardware capabilities. Improper length and quantitative aspects of residual muscles might render a patient ineligible for accessing the blessings of a bionic prosthesis.

Motivation

The willingness to take up the challenge of welding and maintaining a bionic arm is fueled by the motivation of contributing in day to day life. The process of gaining and maintaining the enhancement is a story full of challenges and without fairly strong motivation the journey is next to impossible. The frustration of losing a limb can often manifest into strong and unyielding motivation for wielding a bionic enhancement.

Physical conditions

There are no specific guidelines regarding the optimum physical condition of the wielder of a bionic prosthetic arm. But, in order to effectively wield a bionic arm a fair amount of fitness is expected from the amputee. Additionally, the presence of any osteological or neurological disorder should be dealt with beforehand, so that unwanted permanent damages can be avoided. During the calibration process, sustained fitness is important for the effective completion of the process. Which is generally followed by a rigorous training and awareness program.

Psychological and neurological conditions

The calibration process of a bionic prosthesis depends on the neuronal health of an amputee. Genetic disorders like Parkinson’s desease or ALS render the effective application of a prosthesis almost impossible. Additionally, the presence of tremors and seizures hinders the process of calibration even more.

Prosthetic limbs are known to alleviate phantom limb pain and phantom limb related frustrations. But an abnormal kind of phantom discomfort can worsen after gaining a bionic enhancement. Hence, a holistic psychological and neurological assessment is strictly recommended before even thinking of wielding a prosthetic arm.

awareness

A bionic arm packs an array of sophisticated technology like really sensitive sensors, a powerful microcomputer, and hi-tech hardware parts. The maintenance of this tech assembly is very much important for extracting the optimum performance. As the bionic prostheses are directly responsible for the motor experience of an amputee an extremely small glitch can pave the path for severe illnesses.