Where Human and Technology Unite

The human body is a complex system that requires maintenance and repair, much like a machine.

A Brief History of Prosthetics

The oldest known prosthesis is the “Cairo toe,” crafted out of wood and leather and thought to be 2,700 to 3,000 years old. Its flexibility as well as signs that it was repaired multiple times suggest that it wasn’t built just for appearance — it helped the person walk.

Many efforts to improve replacement body parts followed, including a leg made from bronze and hollowed wood created in what’s now Italy around 300 B.C. Some people in Switzerland and Germany in the fifth to eighth centuries sported wood, iron or bronze feet. In the 15th century, cranks, gears and springs made artificial limbs more functional for those who had at least one hand to manage the hardware.

The Challenge of Controlling Prosthetic Devices

The technology has improved exponentially since then, but one key challenge remains: making the replacement limb easy for the user to control. To solve that major problem, researchers are flipping the script and re-engineering the human body.

Most field researchers never become household names

But their work matters. I didn’t know about Margaret S. Collins, who became a global expert on termites.

Collaborative Efforts Between Engineers and Surgeons

Researchers are now collaborating with surgeons to design prostheses that can be controlled by the user’s muscles. This involves rerouting muscles affected by amputation, realigning them so they generate electrical signals more typical of uninjured musculature. Those signals then direct joints in the prosthesis.

In a recent study, people with these new muscle-to-prosthesis interfaces increased their top walking speed by 40 percent. Other engineer-surgeon collaborations have rerouted nerves to send stronger signals to a prosthesis, or have connected an artificial limb directly to bone to avoid the too-common issue of pain caused by a prosthetic socket.

Co-engineering the Body and Machine

One scientist has termed this approach “co-engineering the body and machine.” This involves working together with engineers and surgeons to develop prostheses that can be controlled by the user’s own muscles, nerves, or bones. By doing so, researchers aim to create more functional and comfortable artificial limbs for people who have lost a body part due to injury or illness.

Fieldwork and Research

The article also delves into fieldwork research, highlighting the work of Charles Darwin and Margaret S. Collins, a global expert on termites. While most field researchers may not become household names, their work matters in understanding the world around us.

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In this issue, we explore efforts to restore senses such as proprioception

Re-engineering the Body

In a paper, one of the scientists termed it “co-engineering the body and machine.” We also delve into a very different form of research: fieldwork. Charles Darwin became famous for developing his theory of evolution by painstakingly gathering specimens of plants, animals and fossils around the world.