Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.13 A mechanical hand for use as a prosthetic. (Photographed by the author at the Smithsonian
Museum in Washington, DC.)
model for military strategies but also offers a model for potential healing of maimed parts of the
human body. Success in adapting this capability could help people with disabilities the possibility
of regrowing amputated or maimed parts of their body.
1.5.5 Artificial Organs
It is increasingly common to augment body organs with artificial substitutes. This is the result of
significant advances in materials that are biocompatible, powerful electronics, and efficient mini-
ature actuators. An artificial hand is shown in Figure 1.13 where a mechanism was designed to
allow control of the fingers using a hand that matches the appearance of a human real hand.
Artificial organs already include the heart, lung, kidney, liver, hip, and others (Chapter 18). Smart
limbs, also known as Cyborgs, are also increasingly being developed with various degrees of
sophistication and operation similar to the biological model. Moreover, the possibility of an
artificial vision allowing a blind person to see is another growing reality, and a description of the
state of the art as well as the expected future of this technology is provided in Chapter 17.
1.6 MATERIALS AND PROCESSES IN BIOLOGY
The body is a chemical laboratory that processes chemicals acquired from nature and turns them to
energy, construction materials, waste, and various multifunctional structures (Mann, 1995). Natural
materials have been well recognized by humans as sources of food, clothing, comfort, and so on.
These include fur, leather, honey, wax, milk, and silk (see Chapter 14). Even though some of the
creatures and insects that produce materials are relatively small, they can produce quantities of
materials that are sufficient to meet human consumption on a scale of mass production (e.g., honey,
silk, and wool). The use of natural materials can be traced back to thousands of years. Silk, which is
produced to protect the cocoon of the silkmoth, has great properties that include beauty, strength,
and durability. These advantages are well recognized by humans and the need to make them in any
desired quantity has led to the production of artificial versions and imitations. Some of the
fascinating capabilities of natural materials include self-healing, self-replication, reconfigurability,
chemical balance, and multifunctionality. Many man-made materials are processed by heating and
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