This is very much in the realm of it has to work pretty perfectly to be worth the fuss. As neat as these are most people prefer the simple dumb prosthetics as they are predictable and reliable. The fuss and imperfections and charging etc that come with these make them look cool in demos but most people abandon them in trials.
Yeah… Prosthetic companies spend lots of money on marketing to make people think we’ve advanced a lot further than we have.
Myoelectric limbs have been around for decades, and though the terminal devices have gotten more life-like, it’s arguable if they’ve gotten any more functional.
Myoelectric limbs are just exhausting to use for more than a couple minutes at a time. You have to concentrate and flex individual muscle groups in your forearm to get a controlled response.
I have patients with mechanical upper limb prosthetics that are a lot more functional than I’ve ever seen anyone with a powered limb.
This is very much in the realm of it has to work pretty perfectly to be worth the fuss. As neat as these are most people prefer the simple dumb prosthetics as they are predictable and reliable. The fuss and imperfections and charging etc that come with these make them look cool in demos but most people abandon them in trials.
Yeah… Prosthetic companies spend lots of money on marketing to make people think we’ve advanced a lot further than we have.
Myoelectric limbs have been around for decades, and though the terminal devices have gotten more life-like, it’s arguable if they’ve gotten any more functional.
Myoelectric limbs are just exhausting to use for more than a couple minutes at a time. You have to concentrate and flex individual muscle groups in your forearm to get a controlled response.
I have patients with mechanical upper limb prosthetics that are a lot more functional than I’ve ever seen anyone with a powered limb.
So… just like tech companies in general?
Oh yeah but if I can get insurance to buy it I’m going to have this as a backup. If just as a party trick.