Your third limb

New technology such as 3D printing could bring the cost of prosthetic limb down to US$500 and might be even potentially be cheaper when relevant companies begin to mass produce it (Kar,2013). For example, Easton LaChappelle, a 17-year-old from Colorado, has managed to develop a prosthetic limb using 3D printing. Most users will not be able to purchase the US$8 million prosthetic that Zac Vawter is using, however with the prosthetic arm that LaChappelle created, it will be more affordable to the average family. This reduced cost will bring

Instead of banning such athletes and impede the technological advances of prosthetic limbs. We could create a different event for them. Instead of Paralympics, we could have an Olympic event which enhanced athletes could take part in. Not only will this encourage innovation of mind-controlled prosthetics, it could also prevent the friction between natural and enhanced athletes.

Instead of performing an open skull surgery, they could wear a hat which monitors brain waves and translate these waves to signals which will then be picked up by their prosthetic limbs. Currently, iPhone has an application called the Neurocam which is able to monitor your brain’s electroencephalogram (EEG) waves (Halverson, 2013). We could tap on this technology and use it to replace the open skull surgery.Furthermore, these prosthetics shouldn’t be attached to the users through surgeries, they should have the liberty to remove these prosthetics any time they want, sort of like an external attachment.