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How close are we to seeing bionic limbs
in society today?



     Whenever I see someone rolling around in their wheelchair deprived the of their mobility, I can think of only one word, disappointment.  With the world is becoming more and more mechanical and tech-savvy, how have we not been able to help upgrade our fellow amputees with something a little more 2014?  Well hold on to your hats, because we are rushing full speed ahead toward the future of prosthetics.  Innovators such as Hugh Herr and Michael McLaughlin lead the charge with their brilliant designs of prosthetics that will reshape the lives of amputees.

First, a little background on me and why I am so interested about the future of prosthetics.  I am a very active person who will do almost anything, from sports such as basketball and tennis, to hiking and rock climbing.  I thought I was invincible until this last summer when I tore my meniscus playing basketball.  Recovering from my injury was so frustrating, because I couldn't stand to see my brother or anyone leave the house and be active.  While I was cooped up in my room, I started to think about the future and how one day we will have bionic arms and legs to keep us active and recover from injury.  I somehow found this TED Talks video which I have posted above, where Hugh Herr explains his efforts and how he believes the future will involve his new bionic leg design along with many other bionic products such as an exo suit and clothing that will feel soft in areas needed and firm in others to provide perfect comfort and mobility.  After watching this video I was amazed at what the future could hold and a part of me wishes we had that technology today so I could be back out on the court, but unfortunately I'm a couple decades short.  The only thing I can do to heal my knee is sleep and restrain myself from heli-skiing.


United States soldiers risk their lives every day to protect us and our country while facing possible amputation frequently in their life-threatening job.  Imagine a regular army soldier struggling to continue living a normal life after losing both his legs after stepping on a mine underneath the ground.  He has a wife and kids who need a fully functional father to help support them, but he can barely even support himself.  Now imagine this same soldier standing proudly on his bionic legs, going back to work, still defending his country with honor and knowing that he is able to support his family once more.  Not only will these bionic limbs help the wearer function as if he or she had their original limbs, but it will provide a more comfortable experience than any carbon fiber prosthetic.  Still, I can not see why some people with a slight discomfort in the arm or leg such as arthritis, may replace their dysfunctional limb to join the bionic revolution, but that is their life and their own questionable choices.  I try really hard not to use the phrase, "Yolo" but I feel like it really sums up how these people want to live. 

 As everyone knows, nothing is free in this world.  These bionic limbs don't come cheap and some insurance plans fail to cover the cost of the prosthetic as of today.  They do also run on a battery so do not think that just because you are wearing a bionic limb that you simply turn into bionic man or woman and can run for days and nothing can stop you, keep dreaming.  remember baby steps.  Now I'm sure a lot of you reading this might ask yourselves, how will these bionic limbs impact society?  Will they have a positive of negative effect on the world?  Technology and creations always have great intentions to improve the lives it touches and bionics generally could eradicate the world of amputees in wheelchairs, but will that good intention stick around in the future?  Or will the people who hold the reigns of this creation steer its direction toward power and destruction?  It is easy for me to imagine our future turning into some action packed mechanical war movie, humans versus the machines, and the fault of this nightmare being the technology of bionics, but if it does, I'll make sure to bring the popcorn.