Summary

EVER-EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF PROSTHETICS MAY SOON HAVE PATIENTS "FEELING" WITH THEIR ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 222995
Story Slug Prosthetic - Technology
Location Madison, WI
Format pkg
Date 01/30/2002
Archive Time 1:00:54
TRT 2:51
Supers Madison, Wisconsin Nancy Rabl, Prosthetic Patient Mike Keller, Certified Prosthetist Prof. Frank Fronczak, Biomedical Engineer Asst. Prof. Nicola Ferrier Mechanical Engineer Joel De Spain, Reporting www.amputeeresource.org
Video Description WOMAN IN DOCTOR'S OFFICE, CU OF PROSTHETIC LEG MOVING, WOMAN WALKING WITH PROSTHETIC LEG, CU OF LEG, CU OF WOMAN, WOMAN SOT, DOCTOR SOT, HIGHJUMPER, RUNNERS ALL WITH PROSTHETICS, DEMOS OF PROSTHETIC HANDS, DOCTOR SOT, WOMAN AT COMPUTER, CLASSROOM, TEACHER SOT, VIDEO OF HAND WORKING, TEACHER SOT, VIDEO OF HAND WORKING, WOMAN SOT, WOMAN WALKING WITH WALKER.
Description EVER-EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF PROSTHETICS MAY SOON HAVE PATIENTS "FEELING" WITH THEIR ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
Script LEAD: PROSTHETICS HAVE COME A LONG WAY FROM WOODEN LEGS AND HOOKED HANDS. THESE DAYS, PEOPLE WITH ARTIFICIAL LEGS RUN MARATHONS AND CLIMB MOUNTAINS. THERE'S EVEN A HAND FOR NEARLY EVERY OCCASION AND AS JOEL DE SPAIN REPORTS, PATIENTS MAY SOON EVEN BE ABLE TO "FEEL" WITH THEIR ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. SCRIPT: (SOT KELLER "You feeling and pain?") NANCY RABL'S PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. (SOT RABL "Oh, I'm getting a new leg, I'm so excited.") FOR SIX MONTHS SHE'D BEEN HOMEBOUND, IN SEVERE PAIN, BARELY ABLE TO MOVE. YEARS OF SMOKING NEARLY CHOCKED OFF ALL CIRCULATION TO A LEG. IT WAS AMPUTATED JUST TWO WEEKS AGO. (SOT RABL "I'm ready to go to the malls, ready to do some shopping.") SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THE DAYS WHEN AN ARTIFICIAL LEG WAS CARVED OUT OF WOOD.. (SOT KELLER "We can get them back up and running again.") CAN THEY.. ALTHOUGH THE NEW LIMB CAN NOW COST UPWARDS OF 25-THOUSAND DOLLARS.. THERE'S REALLY NO LIMIT TO WHAT RECIPIENTS CAN DO. ONE EVEN CLIMBED MOUNT EVEREST.. BUT THE INDUSTRY HAS YET TO PEAK. LIKE COMPUTERS.. EVERY YEAR SCIENTISTS SEEM TO COME UP WITH A BETTER LIMB. NOT JUST LEGS, BUT ARMS. THIS ONE USES MICROPROCESSORS SENSORS, AND MOTORS. THEY REACT WITH ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY REMAINING ARM MUSCLES, ALLOWING HAND CONTROL. (SOT KELLER "And then I can switch functions to the elbow power.") YOU CAN ALSO GET TASK SPECIFIC HANDS. CUSTOM MADE FOR BOWLING, BASEBALL, ARCHERY, PHOTOGRAPHY, BOWLING. (SOT KELLER "There's even a chef's hand. There's one where you can put an eight inch knife on the end.") (SOT KELLER "We put something called a quick interchange on the end, and they just change their hand according to what they're doing.") AT THE U-W MADISON. STUDENTS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, ALONG WITH THEIR PROFESSORS COULD EVEN MAKE THAT TECHNOLOGY OBSOLETE. THEY'RE COLLABORATING WITH NEUROLOGISTS ON A REMARKABLE PRODUCT. (SOT FRONCZAK "It's outstanding. It's a real break through.") IT'S AN ARTIFICIAL HAND, CONTROLLED BY A HUMAN FOOT, A FOOT THAT'S BEEN OUTFITTRED WITH A SPECIAL SOCK. (SOT FONCZACK "And it would have instrumentation sensors on it to measure the motion of the toes, the ankles, the foot and then translate that in to commands for the device that would allow you to manipulate your hand and fingers and wrist with this sock, that you have, or with your foot.") THE NEXT STEP MAYBE TO BRING FEELING BACK, BY USING A DEVICE ON THE TONGUE AS A BAROMETER. (SOT FERRIER "So they would not only be able to grasp the object, but have some idea of what it felt like. Am I grabbing something soft and squishy, am I grabbing something hard.") IS IT HOT OR IS IT COLD... THESE ARE CHALLENGING TASKS BEST TAKEN.. ONE STEP AT A TIME. JUST ASK NANCY RABL. (SOT KELLER "Ok just keep walking.") SHE'LL GET A MORE SOPHISTICATED LEG NEXT YEAR.. BUT SHE'S ALREADY AMAZED AT THE ONE SHE'S GOT. (RABL "I can move, I can go, I can leave the house.") SUGGESTED TAG FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NEW HIGH-TECH PROSTHESIS, LOG ONTO THE AMPUTEE RESOURCE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA'S WEBSITE AT AMPUTEE-RESOURCE (ONE WORD) DOT ORG. RECAP
Not everything listed in the CONUS Archive is necessarily licensable. Reporter sound/image is not licensable
}