So I came across this article on the BBC website about a news producer who lost his leg covering the war in Iraq. The article focuses on his highly advanced prosthetic foot and how it can provide such advanced mobility it could actually allow soldiers who have lost limbs to be able to return to combat. Being one who enjoys periodically checking in on the latest DARPA projects, (I’m also keeping my eye out on this whole BARDA situation) I decided to take a peek into these super-inventions from the Icelandic prosthetics/orthopedics maker Ossur. And after a little old fashioned perusal, I feel that I can safely state that those are some crackerjack bionics!
First, let me just say that once you get over the eerie background music and occasional bizarre turn of phrase it’s easy to see why this company is being lauded with accolades as technological pioneers. They’ve managed to work with Victhom, a human bionics developer, to basically begin the early stages of making Robocop a reality. Though reanimation is still a ways off, I'd say right now we're on the fast track to achieving Bionic Six status. In fact humankind is currently at a point where osseointegration , or "the science of implanting man-made, load bearing devices directly into the bone, whereby the fixture bonds with the surrounding tissue" is considered old hat. And if you really want to be delightfully creeped-out, then check out Victhom's products listings, particularly under the NeuroBionix heading, where you can see several implants that they’re designing for the future. Yum.
It’s totally wonderful, amazing and terrifying that we live in an age where all this is possible. Huge advances have also been made in the hand/arm area by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, most recently with Claudia Mitchell. She recently became the world's first "bionic woman", a veritable cyborgian Eve to Jesse Sullivan's Adam. (There's a great Washington Post article that explains how this new process works. You can also take a look at the fine folks in RIC's NECAL program). Reading this stuff I can’t help but be reminded of the performance artist STELARC, an eccentric little chap who makes the declaration that “Bodies are both Zombies and Cyborgs.” But c'mon now...who really hasn't made that deceleration? Continuing on our journey of lateral thought we make our next station stop at Jie-jie, the Chinese baby born with a non-functioning third arm earlier this year (the beginning of man-kind's Goro-esque evolution?). I could go on with all sorts of crazy crap but I feel as though my work is done, save for one last little tidbit that proves what an ass I really am.
Besides bionics and prosthetics, Ossur has made some acquisitions and began to branch out into the world of orthotics. One such example is subsidiary Jerome Medical, a maker of spinal immobilizers, whose signature product is stabilization collar with the delightful moniker Miami J. And while everything I've read about these products is nothing but wonderful and highly effective, I can't help but smile every time I see their Lil' Angel.
rock.
m$
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