The Advancement in Protheses

Technology related to the advancement in prosthetics has exponentially grown in the past years. Evolving from the first prosthetic made, the wooden peg, many new models have been designed that are much more efficient and allow the amputee greater mobility. Prior to the demand in research towards the dynamics in prostheses, those that had lost a limb were confined to limited movements and physical activity was very restricted. Through the success of Oscar Pistorious, the bilateral amputee track and field athlete, it has proven that technology has expanded in such a way that the new models of prostheses now give amputees a mechanical advantage over able bodied athletes. I believe that technology will continue to develop to a point where people merged with machines will become more efficient in every way possible in comparison to naturally made humans. A leap in research has recently been made in the field of bionics. Bionics are able to restore impaired body parts with mechanical devises that are neurologically controlled. This technology is not limited within prostheses, but can be adapted to restore a degree of any lost function. Although scientist are still perfecting this innovative idea, it is apparent that sometime within the next years people will have the ability to control artificial limbs with their brain. This creates a narrower gab between the mobile abilities of amputees in comparison to regular in tact limbed individuals. Technology plays such an important role in our lives today and it makes a person wonder where it will lead us in the future. Will an entire army of robots be constructed that become more efficient that current soldiers in war? How far will the government let scientist delve into applied science mixed in with human nature?