Boston Bombing Amputees May Benefit From The Huge Advancements In Prosthetic Technology

Boston Marathon Bombings’ patients who have lost limbs might benefit from the advancements in prosthetic technology forced by past wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most of the advancements in prosthetic technology often occurs during wartime. This is the time when the government is funding most of the research. An example is the Deka arm that was developed by Segway inventor Dean Kamen. This research received a  $18.1 million grant from the Defense Advance Research Project Agency.

The Deka arm was designed to restore the functionality of soldiers who have upper extremity amputations. This robotic arm is said to have a goal of functioning as a thought-controlled arm-and-hand prosthesis, meaning, to  perform, look and feel like a natural limb.

In the United States, almost 700 people have already been fitted with iWalk BiOM, a prosthetic ankle. Dr. Austin Fragomen, an orthopedic surgeon who is a limb salvage and limb deformity correction specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, explains in ABC news that this prosthetic ankle can operate like the actual human ankle.

Aside from technological advancements, the new generation of bionic limbs have also improved in the category of fit and comfort. Albuquerque said in ABC news that prosthetics’ improvement in fit and comfort is brought by the improved interfaces that go between the human limb and prosthetic. via [ABC News]