Back in the days, I was an avid fan of Jax from Mortal Kombat (popular video game). The popular character had powerful bionic arms that could destroy pretty much everything. Back in 1993, when the first Mortal Kombat game was released, the bionic arms were nothing but a virtual image. Today, this new tech is an everyday reality that enhances thousands of lives. The bionic arms provide freedom of movement to a vast number of people with limited physical abilities, such as amputees. This technology turns a disabled person into a superman/superwoman.
Superman Prosthetic Arms: Open Bionics
One of the most notorious companies trying to democratize the new tech is Open Bionics. One of its first products is The Hero Arm, a 3d printed bionic arm. It is currently one of the most affordable prosthetic arms on the market.
The multi-grip hand is Open Bionics’ other product. This arm allows one to control four fingers individually. The prosthetic device picks up signals from the user’s muscles and responds to them accordingly. The arm has sensors that are linked to the remaining part of the user’s limb. When the sensors detect signals from the user’s limb muscles, the bionic arm responds with a small voltage that puts the device into motion.
Superman Prosthetic Arms: A Better Man, with Better Arms
Jason Barns, an amputee, lost his hands in an accident. Electricity hit him and exited out of the right side of his body, ripping apart one of his arms. As a musician, Jason thought that his life was over and that he would never be able to play the drums again. Luckily for him, he was able to replace his lost limb and play drums better than any other musician. With special abilities and additional vibrations from his bionic arm, Jason is now able to use additional moves, while playing his musical instruments.
In collaboration with the inventor Gil Weinberg from Georgia Tech University, Jason is working on improving limb adaptation, which will help him and others push the boundaries of music.
What’s Next?
It seems like in the future, bionic limbs might get to the point where they might even replace regular limbs. Just like Tetris is no longer popular among the majority of game players, regular arms will lose their popularity among human beings. With additional microwires implanted into our brains, the superman prosthetic arms can even take on different twists and implications.
