Bionics

Discussion

Bionics has created cyborgs by the merging of body and machine.  The field of medical bionics researches and delivers technological enhancement for people who have missing limbs and impaired senses.  The following sub headings detail areas within the field where great advances have been and are still being made.

Cochleal Implants

By implanting a sophisticated bionic hearing aid known as the “cochleal implant” into the mastoid bone located behind the ear of a deaf person, then connecting the implant to an external microphone, the person, who may be profoundly deaf is able to hear sounds, possibly for the very first time in their life.  The technology, which uses implanted electrodes to stimulate nerves, has been available for some years now, work continues to enhance performance and miniaturize the implant.

Artificial Vision

Anyone experiencing loss of vision must be devastated at the possible prospect of total blindness, research groups worldwide are attempting to restore lost sight and give hope to thousands of people who find themselves in this unenviable situation.  Bruce states in his paper ‘Man Made’ that “MIT researchers are working on a system to surmount blindness caused by the degeneration of the cells in the retina that convert light to neural messages” (Bruce, 1998).  There are several ways in which scientists are trying to achieve this goal.  One of the most promising is the implantation of an artificial silicon retina, which is designed to stimulate the damaged retinal cells and restore some degree of vision.  This form of bionic enhancement still appears to be in its infancy, but shows great promise for the future.

Prosthetic Limbs

A Scottish hotel owner by the name of Campbell Aird was the first person to be fitted with a fully functioning bionic arm.  Aird received his new arm in 1998 at the Prosthetics Research and Development department within Edinburgh's Princess Margaret Rose Orthopedic Hospital, after cancer had forced the amputation of his own arm some 16 years previous.  The arm is operated by nerve impulses and is powered by electronics allowing Aird to “control movement through micro switches and pressure points” (BBC News Portal, 1998), permitting movement, he would normally find impossible with a non-bionic prosthetic arm.  Dr David Gow, who led the research project said: “It's bionic because it's restoring a biological function in terms of prosthetic upper limb and it's using electronics to control and power it” (BBC News, 1998).

Similar research and realisation of bionic prosthetic limbs, including legs and even joints continues worldwide, with advancements in integration with the human body and improved functionality being paramount to this research.

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