Neural Controlled Prosthetics Nerve Connection By Victoria Danielson

Neural Controlled Prosthetics Nerve Connection By: Victoria Danielson

Nerves To move a limb, your brain sends a signal down your spinal cord to your peripheral nervous system where the signal is sent to the muscles needed to move that limb. When a nerve is severed it does not function properly and can be grown with the help of scaffolding. This scaffolding has a porous surface with pores no larger than 79 microns in diameter. The scaffolding is rolled into a cylindrical shape that allows the nerve bundle to grow almost perfectly and connect to the prosthetic. The nerves are an important piece to the puzzle, allowing prosthetics to pick up their signals and give patients the ability to move their prosthetic limb.

Scaffolding The scaffolding is made out of dimethicone, a silicon-based organic polymer. Using an organic polymer made it possible for the scaffolding to be biocompatible; It is also flexible and has the ability to conduct thousands of nerve impulses across its membrane at any given time. This method allows the nerves to connect directly to the prosthetic is a safe and friendly way. Strain gauges are installed into the prosthetic that the voltage to the motor drop and allows the wearer to flew his muscle harder to compensate by having the arm increase the voltage. This allows the wearer to learn how to lift objects with confidence.

Fiber Optics Researchers at Southern Methodist University are looking into using fiber optics to connect the nerves to the limb The fiber optics, with a spherical sensor, can carry 10 times as much information making the limb able to move in a more natural way; the sensor picks up the signal fired from the brain, the sensor then changes shape, altering the fiber optic cables causing a light signal to be sent to the computer chip. Once the signal is received by the computer chip, the computer chip would then tell the limb to move in the desires motion. One interface involves physical wires that connect to the nerve endings. This is problematic because it has limited mobility and involves wires being fed in and out of the body making it dangerous. The other interface is electrodes that are implanted directly into the nerves. This interface does not last more than 6 months due to corrosion and tissue death around the implant.

Work Cited Bryner, Michelle. "Fiber Optics Could ‘Humanize’ Future Prosthetic Limbs. "Msnbc. com. Msnbc Digital Network, 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http: //www. msnbc. msn. com/id/39330705/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/fiberoptics-could-humanize-future-prosthetic-limbs/>. "Nerve Impulses. " Nerve Impulses. N. p. , n. d. Web. <http: //www. biologymad. com/nervoussystem/nerveimpulses. htm>. 10 Nov. 2012. Szondy, David. ""Interface Scaffolds" Could Wire Prosthetics Directly into Amputees' Nervous Systems. " "Interface Scaffolds" Could Wire Prosthetics Directly into Amputees' Nervous Systems. Gizmag, 4 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http: //www. gizmag. com/nerve-prostheses-interfacescaffolds/21646/>.