Your third limb

The evolution of prosthetics has come a long way to what it is today. The first prosthetic limbs have changed continuously over the course of time, and through numerous improvements and fine-tuning, transformed the first peg legs and hand hooks into the modern products we see today. Despite all of these changes, the role of prosthetic limbs has never changed, and it is still serves as a replacement for people who have lost their limbs.

 

Prosthetics have always been around throughout history of mankind. There are differing opinions as to who was the first to develop and use prosthetic limbs. One of the earliest known references of prosthetic limbs is the story of a Persian soldier, Hegistratus, who escaped his captives by cutting off his foot and replaced it later with a wooden on. The Ancient Egyptians and Romans were both known to use wooden and iron arms and feet to replace their lost limbs from war. Knights who lost their arms during the Middle Ages were fitted with basic prosthetics so that they were still able to hold up a shield. These prosthetics had minimal function and were only able to perform very limited tasks.

 

However, what historians generally agree on is the earliest case of an advanced prosthetic arm which belonged of Gotz Von Berlichingen, a German Knight. He lost his right arm in battle, and fitted himself with a prosthetic arm with catches and springs. Such a design was way ahead of its time in the 16^th century and enabled him to hold objects ranging from a sword to a feather pen.

 

Over on the other side of the globe around the same period, an Italian surgeon traveling in Asia recorded observations of a double arm amputee who was able to remove his hat, open his purse, and sign his name.

Based on such earlier works, the French surgeon Ambroise Paré further improved prosthetic limbs as well as inventing an above-knee prosthetic in 1536. This device had a kneeling peg leg and foot prosthesis that formed the basic engineering features that are used in today's devices. His work showed the first true understanding of how a prosthesis should function.

 

In the 19^th century with the progress of warfare technology, amputees were becoming increasingly common, leading to technological advancements in prosthetic technology.

 

In 1800, James Potts, designed a new prosthetic leg that would be controlled by tendons from the knee to the ankle that had a steel knee join and an articulated foot. It would be known as the “Anglesey Leg” after Marquess of Anglesey, who wore it after losing his leg in the Battle of Waterloo.

 

In 1846, Benjamin Palmer further improved the aesthetic designs of the “Anglesey Leg” with his aim of concealing the unsightly gaps between various components. Through adding an anterior spring, and concealed tendons, he was able to simulate more natural-looking movement for the amputee.

 

Over the years, the design of prosthetic limbs began to change tremendously. Dubois L Parmelee developed an advanced socket for prosthetic limbs in 1863 that relied on atmospheric pressure to secure the socket. 25 years later, Giuliano Vanghetti successfully invented a way for amputees to use their remaining muscle contractions to move the prosthetic limbs in 1898. The materials used for prosthetics also changed from wood to more longer lasting materials like aluminium.

 

Following World War II, war veterans with missing limbs were dissatisfied with the level of technology in their prosthetics and demanded improvement. This led to the U.S. government securing a deal with military companies to prioritise developing prosthetic function over that of weapons. This agreement further paved the way for further development and production of modern prosthetics.

 

Another milestone for prosthetic limbs was the revolutionary development of socket technology. In the 1980s, John Sabolich revolutionised prosthetic limb technology with his new designs, allowing specialised containment for muscular tissue and distributing weight more evenly. Fast forward to today, technology for prosthetics has advanced even further by leaps and bounds.

 

For example, today’s prosthetics are made of stronger and lighter materials like carbon fiber and include the use of electronics to control limbs using muscle movements by converting them to electrical signals. Today’s prosthetic technology has the aim of returning amputees to their pre-amputation lifestyle, rather than merely restoring basic functions and for aesthetic reasons. DARPA’s continuous research over the past decade led to a breakthrough in the earlier half of 2013, when it developed a mind controlled prosthetic limb. For an amputee having a restored sense of touch, as well as being able to move the limb without consciously looking at it, this new technological advancement brings a greater degree of control back to the subject, and opens up even more possibilities as to what the future can bring to such an amazing technology.