As physical therapy strengthens muscles, the metal hook attached to the prosthetic arm does not help your self-esteem. The mouth-watering hamburger you once enjoyed with both hands is being fed to you. Your toddler is afraid to hug you because you remind him of a villain he has seen in one of his cartoons. The rest of your family wallows in pity as they try to make sense of your condition.
With as many as 1,600 American soldiers returning home from war without the use of a crucial limb, a call to provide more humanized replacements is needed. The technology of artificial limbs, especially artificial arms and hands, has not changed since the Second World War. The basic hook is motorized so it can rotate, but prosthetic limbs are uncomfortable to wear. They generally become hot and sweaty and start to slip off. State-of-the-art prosthetics have three powered joints and do not provide much functionality. Unlike an actual arm that has 21 degrees of freedom, the hook and state-of-the-art prosthetic only provided three. Wearers are limited to the movement of the elbow, wrist, and the ability to open and close some type of hook. Because of this, most either continue using the hook and cable prosthetic or do not wear one at all. The simple task of picking up a water bottle or grape is a challenge for amputees who use both types of prosthetics. The ability to sense the density of an object is nearly impossible.
When asked by the Department of Defense to develop an advance prosthetic, Dean Kamen's reaction was a little less than enthusiastic. He said, "Look, you're nuts. That technology is just not available right now. And it can't be done. Not in an envelope of a human arm, with 21 degrees of freedom, from your shoulder to your fingertips." Dean Kamen, famously noted for inventing the Segway, holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents for innovation on medical devices. His devotion to medical innovation contributed to the invention of the first insulin pump for diabetics, called AutoSyringe. His company, DEKA (www.dekaresearch.com) is consistently developing new advancements for medical technology. With the U.S. Department of Defense's funding and support (www.darpa.mil), Kamen's goal is to create a prosthetic as close to a real arm as possible.
In as little as 13 months, Kamen and his team have been able to use the latest technological advancements to build a fully functional robotic arm. From something out of a Sci-Fi movie, 'Luke' as it's referred to, has 14 out of the 21 degrees of freedom. The device, which weighs 6.9 lbs is made of aluminum and designed small enough to fit on a 50th percentile female. This was done to ensure that it would fit on anyone despite his or her level of amputation. The precise motor control is due to the set of 14 actuators. Actuators are mechanical devices for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. Actuators take energy like air, electric or liquid and convert them into motion. Each of the actuators has its own capability to sense temperature and pressure. This is what allows the wearer to pick up a grape or water bottle without crushing it. The pneumatic cuff holds the arm into place to allow its user to put them self under heavy load. The more they do this, the more it attaches itself to the wearer. Kamen hopes the final arm will look like an exact mirror image of the wearer's other arm. This will be done using silicon rubber rubber, coated and painted to look 3D.
Pending approval from the FDA, the DEKA arm is expected to be available at a cost of upwards to $100,000. This price is actually comparable to what today's state-of-the-art prosthetic costs. Currently the prototypes of the initial arm are undergoing testing in human clinical trials. Dr. COL Geoffrey Ling M.D., Ph.D. who is the program's director says the arm will be available for clinical trials in about two years. He predicts in about four years to further improve on the prosthetic, and produce a device that will be directly controlled by neural signals. This will be done by a surgical procedure re-routing the residual nerves of amputees. The nerves will be moved out of the armpit to under the clavicle, connecting them to the pectoral muscles. When the wearer thinks about moving their arm, the signal will travel down to the nerves into the chest. When the muscles contract, the electrodes in the chest will send a signal to the prosthetic arm, moving the arm.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, we will unfortunately see more and more American soldiers coming home without limbs. Putting technological advancements to positive use like this will enable many American War Veterans to have as normal as a life as possible.
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A reminiscent look at how to use the flourishing green plague in your backyard.
For me, mint stirs up fantastic childhood memories. I can remember summers spent at my grandparent's row home in Baltimore City. The brash smog from the traffic off of Loch Raven Boulevard and Northern Parkway dulled my senses, but the patch of mint growing on the rim of the rectangular garden allowed me to breathe in a sigh of relief.
One might not imagine the sweltering hot Baltimore City summer conjuring up fond memories of mint. Some might picture lounging in a hammock on a cool summer late afternoon, sipping freshly made iced tea. I too sipped on freshly made iced tea infused with rich deep green mint leaves, newly hand picked from against the red rust colored wood fence separating Mrs. Westimyer and my grandmother's backyards. A scrumptious treat of mint chocolate chip ice cream was always a favorite with the neighborhood kids after an exhausting game of freeze tag in the alley. The anticipation of an after dinner adventure to the snowball stand for a hefty-sized spearmint with marshmallow was worth the agonizing torment of eating grandpa's Wednesday night meatloaf surprise.
As adults, we now find the massive green leafy plague growing against our backyard fence or in that disfigured plant container our mother-in-law gave us absolutely revolting. Mint spreads through the soil like a wildfire in Southern California if not self-contained and the shade doesn't hinder this flourishing beast, it thrives under its cover. As mint transforms from a welcoming childhood memory to a pointless weekend landscaping project, remember the positive aspects of mint. Keep in mind the flavorful aroma mint produces, which can captivate your psyche from only yards away. The fresh cool aftertaste it leaves stinging in your mouth will force your husband to make-out with you even after you've had cabbage and garlic soup for dinner. You might prefer to relish in your childhood memories with a mint julep as opposed to mint jelly, but the main ingredient remains refreshingly the same.
