Earlier this year an exhibit demonstrated how the original Star Trek was a blueprint for today's electronics. We have communicators (cellphones), tricorders (portable medical and environmental diagnostic tools) and 'main screens' (a plethora of projector and ever increasing flat panel televisions.) While we might not quite have warp engines and teleporters, it's amazing to see how far technology had come to make science fiction science fact. One of these is the robotic limb. We've all see films where human and machine are melded with machine to improve their skills. Cyborgs like the Million Dollar Man have made us wonder what we are capable of using technology.
But what about individuals who just want to regain simpler abilities, abilities lost to them? Engineer Dean Kamen and his research firm DEKA have been commissioned by the government to work on robotic prosthetic limbs for returning Veterans who have lost limbs. Dubbed the Luke Arm (named after Luke Skywalker, who in the Star Wars series received a robotic prosthetic to replace his hand), DEKA's prosthetic has amazing capabilities. Right now the Luke Arm uses mouth based, shoulder based, and foot based input so the users can control the arms. Even with this limited amount of input, users can pour drinks, and pick up grapes. These might not sound like impressive tasks, but for someone who has lost an arm, it is an amazing feat. New emerging technology might even allow the prosthetics to read the human brain, and possible even relay "feelings" back to the brain. Imagine a day where one can control an artificial limb just like they would a real limb - with thought alone.
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Another company, HandProthese is working on a hand that both looks and works like a real one. The company is working on some interesting looking prosthetics
Finally, here's an example of a very different kind f prosthetic. This artificial limb has no robotics and is a passive system. This particular one is called "The Cheetah" and is a carbon fiber leg replacement. Often used by athletes, he prosthetic has allowed amputees to run at some pretty incredible speeds. Carbon fiber technology is sturdier and lighter than traditional metal leg prosthetics, so it's much more mobile. And the prosthetic's users are definitely not limited to athletes- recently the youngest patient ever was fitted with a prosthetic carbon fiber leg.
We might not all have jetpacks and robot butlers yet, but I'm pretty happy with our progress so far.