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Losing a limb is undoubtedly one of the most traumatic and debilitating human experiences. Those who haven’t experienced an amputation can’t even fathom how drastically a person’s life changes when such a calamity befalls them. Unfortunately, this nightmare is a stark reality for some as over a million amputation procedures are performed every year. In the United States alone, over 2.1 million people live without one or more limbs, and shockingly, that number is expected to reach at least 4 million by 2050.

Traditional Prosthetic Limitations

For centuries, people who have lost limbs have been limited to only a few options. Conventionally, limb prostheses made of plastic, aluminum, or wood are simply fixed over the stump, allowing the patient some degree of movement and comfort but with little to no control. However, very recently, scientific advancements in prosthetics have emerged that may change the future of amputees for good.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Prosthetics

Backed by Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), researchers from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, USA, have made noteworthy breakthroughs. The idea of cyborgs—beings with both organic and robotic body parts—used to be pure fiction, but these researchers have developed the Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL), a gamechanger in this field.

Training for the Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL)

The patient who is to be fitted with an MPL must first undergo a specific training regime, where they learn to use it. The training is carried out using APL’s pattern recognition system. The system utilizes pattern recognition algorithms to identify individual muscles, assess their intercommunication, and gauge their amplitude and frequency. This collected data is then converted into instructions so the prosthetic limb can be controlled.

Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) Surgery

After the training is complete, the patient undergoes a relatively new surgical procedure called Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR). TMR is essentially a nerve-transfer technique that combines available equipment with structural adjustment of the residual limb to provide amputees with more intuitive control of upper limb prostheses. Residual nerves from the amputated limb are redirected to new muscle targets that were previously inactive. Once trained and surgically fitted, the MPL can pick up neural waves and translate the wearer’s thoughts into actions. As these remapped nerves grow deeper, the patient may even begin to feel sensations in their prosthetic limb.

The Impact on Amputee Research

When preliminary studies on these procedures were published, the amputee research field was rattled. The advances were scientific breakthroughs, planting seeds for many futuristic ideas. The advent of neuroprosthetics has paved the way for advancements once unimaginable for amputees and paralyzed patients, though there remains a long way to go before the field realizes its full potential. A team at the University of Chicago, for example, is working on a project to introduce touch sensations to neuroprosthetic limbs, connecting control to the brain’s somatosensory cortex to allow future limb prosthetics not only to respond to thoughts but also to provide sensations of size, shape, and texture.

Challenges to Widespread Adoption

The promising future these procedures offer is almost too good to be true, and some challenges stand in the way of this utopian vision, especially in terms of commercial availability. The cost difference between a conventional prosthetic limb and a modular prosthetic limb (neuroprosthetic limb) is staggering. Currently, a single MPL costs upwards of $500,000, which is out of reach for the overwhelming majority of amputees. Experts suggest that the MPL’s cost would need to be at least one-tenth of its current price for commercial availability in the U.S. In light of this, production labs are collaborating with industrial partners to accelerate the path toward affordability.

A Visionary Future for Amputees

These ideas are revolutionary and could transform the course of future amputee surgeries for good. Imagine a young person who lost a limb in a tragic accident and, thanks to advancements in prosthetic technology, can finally walk again. Cyborgs—individuals with functional robotic body parts—may soon be walking among us, and the world could not be more excited for this future.

 

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