An action as common as grabbing a glass for us could
be almost impossible for someone whose arm was amputated. A new technological
device such as a “bionic arm” could perform this action only by thinking. You may
wonder how? Well simply, using our brain.
Claudia Mitchell, whose arm was amputated after
suffering a terrible motorcycle accident, was a fortunate woman who fits with
this kind of amazing prosthesis. The “bionic
arm” can work mainly with an amputated limb. This is simply, firstly, because the
area that control de voluntary muscles movement, the motor cortex, after an
amputation could be still sending signals to the non-existence muscles. And
secondly, if a doctor has to amputate a limb, the professional will be very careful
to leave the nerves almost intact which then could reconnect with another group
of them.
Reconnecting the nerves with a machine is not
as simple as we think. The surgeons reconnect the nerves into the chest looking
for a reactivation of their functions. What comes next is to setup electrodes
into the chest which are going to control the motors of the prosthesis. As the
brain is still thinking that those nerves are connected with an arm, the person
thinks “open hand” and the brain is going to send the signal to the tissues in
the chest and the electrodes are going to detect the activation of the nerves
and the hand will open.
Despite all the complexity of this new
technological device, it is an excellent choice for whose unfortunately have
lost an arm. Having the opportunity to use the benefits of our magnificent
brain; they can continue with their lives in a normal and, at the same time, in
an extraordinary way.
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