The Bionic Arm of Tomorrow

Among the several options for people with amputated arms with various degrees of amputation includes the electronic arm prosthesis. Arm prostheses have been around for centuries, but newer models have been manufactured with more durable materials and are better able to replicate the normal human arm. Electronic arm prostheses, such as myoelectric prostheses, can be controlled by batteries working in concert with action potentials (electric signals) propagating from the brain and traveling down the arm to muscles in the limb. Electrodes in the prosthesis pick up signal recordings of muscle activity within the arm’s muscles, causing the signal to travel distally through the prosthesis and activating motor controls for the entire arm prosthetic (How Do Arm Prostheses Work?).