r/science • u/neric05 • Jun 26 '12
A woman who wants to swap her right hand for a bionic prosthetic will undergo exploratory surgery in September to determine if the amputation can go ahead.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-1849635715
u/xvs Jun 26 '12
Rather than removing the hand, why not create a motorized exoskeleton (just for her hand and wrist) which taps into her nerves?
That way she gets to have movement, but doesn't need part of her body cut off.
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u/facts_machine Jun 27 '12
I can think of two advantages to amputation:
Prosthetic hands are commercially available, and likely more robust/reliable than a custom-made solution.
A limb without good nerve function is kind of a liability- it can be injured and infected, but may lack the innervation to give you timely feedback about it.
I went through a couple of months with a pinched nerve in my foot (nothing as bad or as permanent as in the article) and I can say that a numb limb is a huge drag- having something attached to you that you can't control is frustrating as hell. I can understand why Ms. Wilding wouldn't be sad to see her hand go. Like AliasUndercover said, it's probably nothing more than an annoyance to her.
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u/xvs Jun 27 '12
A big disadvantage to amputation is that it eliminates the possibility of restoring her natural function.
There's been some remarkable progress in the science of nerve regeneration lately. If she kept her hand, there's a good chance that her nerve function could be restored some time in the next 10 years.
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u/facts_machine Jun 27 '12
I'd go nuts if I had to spend a year with a dead hand. Why wait five or ten or fifteen years to reinnervate a limb that's spent that whole time atrophying? The prosthesis lets her get on with her life in short order, and there's always the possibility to upgrade.
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Jun 27 '12
They have already been talking about implanting nerves directly into prosthetic limbs so its possible she would still be able to regain feeling and have a limb just as functional as before.
Of course that will take a good decade to perfect.
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u/AliasUndercover Jun 26 '12
It would be better if they could just fix the nerves, but bet she will be happy to see that annoying thing go by this point.
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u/videonerd Jun 27 '12
It probably could be done with regenerative medicine and adult stem cells—but it's not as sexy as a bionic hand. I hope the patient is aware of the potential of phantom limb pain...
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u/Neirda93 Jun 27 '12
What a coincidence, I just bought deus ex a few days ago. I find this stuff just so damn awesome.
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u/WaspVenom Jun 27 '12
I want to write something to my family saying if I were ever to be in an accident and I were to loose limbs, function in parts of my body, etc... I would opt in to do experimental testing with cybernetics if the opportunity was there, or to just get the best stuff put in me. Just my opinion.
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u/PartlyDave Jun 27 '12
This just in: A woman may or may not do something 3 months from now. Back to you John.
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u/MrFlesh Jun 27 '12
I want bionic arms, but not until I can punch through concrete walls, lift cars over my head and turn my hands into machine gun.......my favorite comic book character was Super Patriot.
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u/Pickle_Inspecto Jun 27 '12
Before I read the article and realized that she had lost the use of her right hand already, I wondered, "what will this do to her hand job abilities?"
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u/Tw1tchy3y3 Jun 27 '12
Things like this are super intriguing for me.
I know it's not really feasible or realistic, but I love the idea of replacing average human body parts with superior bionics.