Pulley System Incorporated In Bionic Arm

When it comes to the Six Million Dollar Man fictional character that we have come to know of in the past, that was a huge sum of money back then – and pretty believable too, at least for a starry eyed 7 year old. However, the constant threat of inflation as well as the different kinds of comic book superheroes we have been exposed to over the years would make such a bionic man a “meh” character in most people’s books. Still, to have a bionic part in our body does sound cool – and this particular bionic arm that you see on the right is said to be on the verge of being real, as it works on a basic pulley system that will be implanted in one’s hand to pave the way for a more natural grasping function without having to expend too much muscle energy.

Ravi Balasubramanian, an expert in robotics, biomechanics and human control systems, as well as assistant professor in the OSU College of Engineering, is the one researching this particular project. To date, the pulley system has been implanted in cadaver arms, where studies and experiments point to a force reduction of 45% required when it comes to closing all four fingers around an object, while the grasp improvement on an object reduced slippage by more than half.

Theoretically speaking, it sounds good – the big challenge would be to discover new materials that will be accepted by the body as an implant, similar to the kinds used in hip implants and bone screws. Also, we hope that this would not mean having to oil the pulley system in our bodies after being implanted! [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Medical
Tags: Science