World's First 'Real Bionic Woman' Equipped With Controllable Artificial Limb

A patient who's being called the "real bionic woman" has become the first human being to be equipped with limb that is functional and controllable. This limb is fused with her nervous and skeletal systems.

What was the problem faced by the patient?

The 50-year-old Swedish woman is named Karin and was fitted with an artificial limb a few years ago after losing her hand more than 20 years ago in a farming accident.

Ortiz-Catalan et al., Sci. Rob., 2023

Karin, as she's mentioned in the study, has now become the first human ever to have a working bionic limb. She gave conventional prosthetic limbs a try but those weren't doing the job as she had wanted.

"It felt like I constantly had my hand in a meat grinder, which created a high level of stress and I had to take high doses of various painkillers," Karin said about her pain, according to Zenger.

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She found relief in the bionic limp that was specifically designed for her. The surgery was performed on her arm in December 2018 and she began using the arm in 2019. It has now been functional for four years.

How was the bionic arm developed?

A multidisciplinary team of engineers and engineers from Sweden, Australia, and Italy attempted to solve many problems associated with artificial limbs, namely mechanical infusion and functional control of the limb. Many patients are also sceptical of artificial limbs owing to potential pain and control issues.

The team found answers to many of these problems by building an interface that fuses human and machine, ensuring that the machine is comfortably attached while maintaining an electrical connection with the nervous system.

Ortiz-Catalan et al., Sci. Rob., 2023

The study's lead researcher Dr. Max Ortiz Catalan who heads neural prosthetics research at the Bionics Institute in Australia and founder of the Center for Bionics and Pain Research (CBPR) in Sweden, said that Karin's successful usage of the bionic limb for a number of years is a positive sign.

Also read: Woman Reveals How She Performs Everyday Tasks With A Bionic Arm In Viral Videos

"Karin was the first person with below-elbow amputation who received this new concept of a highly integrated bionic hand that can be used independently and reliably in daily life," Catal¨¢n said.

¡°The fact that she has been able to use her prosthesis comfortably and effectively in daily activities for years is a promising testament to the potential life-changing capabilities of this novel technology for individuals facing limb loss.¡±

Ortiz-Catalan et al., Sci. Rob., 2023

According to the researchers, Karin is employing the same neural resources to control the artificial limb that she used to control her biological arm.

Results from a study highlighting this marvel of science were published in the journal Science Robotics.

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