Still Awaiting The Bionic Age!

Bionic age is basically a technology combining biology and electronics. Thanks to advancement in Science & Technology!

The new technology is approved for use in children and adults with profound hearing loss in both ears. SPEAR3 (Speech Processor for Electrical and Acoustic Research), is an advanced body-worn speech processor developed by the CRC for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovation to enable high-level speech processing research applicable to cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.

In this rapidly changing technological world the question remains unanswered ‘which is the future   technology? ‘Which technology will take over in 21st century? Could it be the fast advancing world of computers & microprocessors? Could it be the world of digital hardware integrated circuits, mobile and satellite communication, a world full of electronics? Or a Biological world where clones, genomes and other biological properties, which constitute this world, have changed, the world of biology?

Gone are the days of Captain Hook with his hook hand and pirates with peg legs. Technology for prosthetic limbs has progressed to the point where the limbs look as real as the ones they’re replacing.

A Scottish company called Touch Bionics have developed a range of limbs with features such as freckles, hairs and even tattoos in a bid to make them look as real and natural as possible. They have introduced a new photographic system called Living Image which scans the patient’s skin tone, features and shape of the remaining part of their limb. This image then gets sent via the internet to the production facility in Scotland and the resulting limb is hand painted to match the skin tone and appearance of the patient.

The scanning process is used for a patient that needs a ‘simple’ prosthetic such as a hand, finger or arm. Made from high definition silicone, they form part of the Living Skin range.

Tested on 100 patients, Touch Bionics spokesman Danny Sullivan said it has so far been very successful and shortened the process time by two to three weeks.

“It used to take five weeks to create a finger and seven weeks to create a hand… [this system is] more reliable and makes a better use of clinical time.”

The company also unveiled an upgraded version of its flagship prosthetic hand solution called i-limb Ultra. It has multiple functions that allow light grasping and typing, as well as pulling, pushing, stabilising and supporting.