Arms and Hands
There is no exact record of when the prosthesis of Arms/hands began. It is known that during medieval times and the Crusades when a knight lost a hand or possibly an arm, they found a blacksmith willing to make a iron hand that could then be placed on the stumped appendage of the knight. This type of prosthesis had no real capabilities or any functions; they were used as a “disguise” for their missing hand and to be fitted with a shield.
In the 16th century, Götz von Berlichingen had an iron made prosthetic arm created for him. This arm was designed to have different grips to hold reigns of a horse or the handle of a sword.
Later, during the Renaissance Götz von Berlichingen later created a prosthetic arm that allowed him movement of the hand to do daily activities, such as writing with a pen, grabbing a hat, or opening a purse. This was done by relaxing a series of springs and releases.
The advancement of hand prosthesis continued in this format, allowing more functionality of hand and grip movement as well as the material used to create the prosthesis. In modern medical prosthesis arm and hand prosthesis are often made out of plastic and fiberglass for their lightweight and the functionality they possess.
Recently the greatest advancement in the prosthetic field for missing or amputated arms or hands is by using electronics. Although previously bulky and loud, from the motor powering it, they have continued to evolve by now using the electrical impulses from the arm and using those to move the arm in that desired movement. This is known as a myoelectric arm.
-Myoelectric prosthesis: When a person moves or flexes or uses their arm or any other portion of their being they extend a small electric signal to the desired area. The myoelectric prosthesis that’s that electrical impulse and converts it into about 5-20 microvolts, although this is not a very large amount of electricity or power, the devices in the arm are able to take this small amount of energy and use it to move the arm or hand in the hoped for process.
