Rocket-powered Mechanical Arm, Revolutionizing Prosthetics

Filed in archive Medical Devices , Treatment on August 22, 2007

Gone are the days of wooden prosthetics. Today, if you lost a limb you will get something as close to the bionic arm as you can get: a prosthetic device that combines a mechanical arm with a miniature rocket.

The novel-designed prosthetic arm has been successfully developed and tested by a team of mechanical engineers at Vanderbilt University.

According to Michael Goldfarb, the professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the effort:

"Our design does not have superhuman strength or capability, but it is closer in terms of function and power to a human arm than any previous prosthetic device that is self-powered and weighs about the same as a natural arm.

The prototype can lift (curl) about 20 to 25 pounds - three to four times more than current commercial arms - and can do so three to four times faster. That means it has about 10 times as much power as other arms despite the fact that the design hasn't been optimized yet for strength or power.

Compared to previous models, this new mechanical arm moves naturally. But of course, I would still like my arm. But in case you lost one, it is good to know that there is a replacement that mimics the original. Although, in inventions like this, they always only mention how good the device will work without mentioning how much it would cost a patient.

It must be mind-blowing expensive, it makes me wonder how many people in the world needing a new arm can afford it.

Find more details from Vanderbilt University.

[In Photo: Michael Goldfarb inspects the hand that he has created to go with his rocket-powered prosthetic arm; Credit: Daniel Dubois]