Over the past ten years or so, the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in our society has led to more resources being devoted to research and development of better below-the-knee prostheses. Not so with the field of arm prosthetics. Too few people across the United States loose their arms, compared with those who loose legs, to make significant investment profitable.
Now, prompted by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a government agency known as DARPA within the Pentagon has begun funding new initiatives to make natural, lighter weight, more versatile prosthetic arms.
There is an excellent article in The Boston Globe on one of these new arms still in development. Here is an excerpt about the inventor:
Kamen hopes the market for the product won't get too big. But he's gratified to see the arms being used by patients, and he brags like a proud parent about what they can do with them. For example, one patient shows off by picking up individual M&Ms, and another can use a power drill. "We've given them a new perspective on life," Kamen said.
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