The invention of robots introduced a new field of applied science – robotics. This has tremendously improved the technologies used in medical sciences, space/deep-sea explorations, military artifacts, commercial products etc.

Current developments in the field of robotics include the Bionic Research (involving biological based robotics). The main focus is to improve the quality of life for the disabled persons.

THE BIONIC RESEARCH

The term “bionic” refers to the application of electronics/robotics in the biological environment i.e. smart structures (electronic/mechanical components) replace or enhance anatomical structures or human physiological processes (artificial human parts – prosthetic limbs; hearing devices implanted in the cochlea etc).

Smart structures contain sensors, actuators and artificial intelligence that respond in a human-like way. The application of smart structures to the field of prosthetics is providing new opportunities in the replacement of physiological requirements. E.g.: Prosthetic implants, Cochlear implants, Mechanical heart-assist pumps etc.

The Bionic Eye:

A computer chip is placed at the back of the eye of the blind person and is linked to a mini video camera built into the glasses worn by them. This acts as the receptor and the images captured by the camera reach the chip and are transmitted as nerve impulses for the brain to interpret. Although, the image produced by the artificial eye may not be precise as the natural eye, it still enables the person to recognise shapes, features, colours, faces etc.

The receptor (the retinal implant) consists of tiny electrodes. When a single electrode is stimulated, it enables the person to see a single dot of light. This technology is still under research and future developments are expected to enhance the clarity of the image obtained.

Cochlear Implant:

The ear functions when sound waves vibrate air particles near the ear drum and the fluid in cochlea moves, stimulating thousands of hair cells lining the cochlea. When these hair cells move, neural impulses are created that travel through auditory nerves to a part of brain called auditory cortex. If these hair cells are damaged, signals do not reach the brain properly. Instead, if tiny stimulating electrodes are inserted in the cochlea, they can perform the function of the hair cell (producing electrical signals that travel through the auditory nerve to the brain).

This implant only helps people with damaged hair cells. If the auditory nerve is missing, another implant called the “auditory brainstem implant” is done. Instead of a string of electrodes placed in the cochlea, there’s a patch of electrodes placed on part of the brainstem called the cochlear nucleus. But the quality and clarity of sound is much lesser than the cochlear implant, although it provides some degree of sound perception to people who would otherwise be completely deaf.

The Bionic Arm:

The bionic arm is an electrical prosthetic arm that can be controlled by the human mind. The main components include 12 V rechargeable battery, motors, carbon fiber tubes, gearboxes etc. Electrodes and microprocessors are wired to the nerves reaching the brain. So, a single thought of brain can move the arm instantaneously, depending on the response time.

Signals from the nerve endings of the former arm are difficult to be read by the brain. So the ends of these nerves are moved to the chest (as the chest muscles provide larger surface areas for the nerves to grow and send signals easily). If a thought such as “close the hand” occurs, signals are sent to these nerves that produce muscle contraction. Electrodes pick up these contractions and send these signals as electromyography to the microprocessor in the bionic arm, and as a result the arm moves (in this case, it closes).

The bionic arms have been fitted to amputees successfully and they function efficiently. But improvements are still being made on:

• neural sensing
• control systems
• power storage & distribution
• neural control
• sensory feedback
• transmission design
• signal processing
• information science

Other Achievements:

• Artificial lungs and artificial liver life systems are currently being tested on sheeps as an effort to treat chronic lung disease and chronic liver failures
• Bio-artificial kidneys built with living cells are being researched on to remove toxic waste products (that a normal healthy kidney would have filtered out)
• An artificial knee can restore joint function in people with osteoarthritis or other types of joint damage
• Gene Activated Matrix Technology can deliver DNA for site-specific gene therapy to heal damaged bones, heart muscle and skin
• Heart-lung bypass machines pump blood out of the body, through a filtering device, to remove carbon dioxide and add oxygen. Then the blood is returned back to the patient. This is just used temporarily for hearts or lungs damaged by trauma or infection.