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AI in the Use of Prosthetics

Although the AI is making strides in faster data collection, there is still plenty of uncovered grounds when it comes to research. Many scientists do not truly understand potential side effects of this exposure to computer chips, and other complications whihc could come from adding devices into or around the body. Unfortunatley, this is not necesartrily information that AI can collect as this type of information takes years to collect and interpret. Once more is understood about the side effects, the concern of them could be potentially erased entirley.

Lack of Research

Since this is a relatively new topic of interest for scientists, availabilty is also a difficult topic. It is hard for patients all over the world to have access to these devices, especially those living in different locations than those of which these devices are being produced. This means that many who need these devices will not have any type of access, whihc could lead to issues for the time being. As these devices become more commonly produced, this will change and people all over the world should be able to get the devices they need.

Availability

The overall addition of AI into prosthetics allows for the imrpovement of patients quality of life. Without this integration prosthetics would likely stay in the same range of uncomfortable, pieces of plastic which serve merely cosmetic purposes. It is important that scientists and researchers continue to understand the improvement they make on individuals lives with the addition of AI in the use of prosthetics.

Quality of Life improvement

"AI Streamlines Custom Prosthetic Socket Design for Amputees." University of Washington, 16 Oct. 2023, rehab.washington.edu/news-and-events/ai-streamlines-custom-prosthetic-socket-design-for-amputees. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.

Production

As with anything, production speed often speeds up if human error is taken out of the equation. This is the same with AI in prosthetics. By putting AI to work on production lines for AI devices, the human error is taken out, and building a custom fit, comfortable prosthetic becomes an easy task which takes little to no work. The University of Washington has studied these and found they greatly improve the fit and quality as well as the speed of which these can be made. It's as simple as a scan that is sent to a 3D printer then being custom-designed to the patients body.

Huang, Jasmine. "How AI Is Revolutionizing Prosthetics to Refine Movement." InformationWeek, 27 Oct. 2023, www.informationweek.com/machine-learning-ai/how-ai-is-revolutionizing-prosthetics-to-refine-movement. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

New advancements in AI allow for scientists and doctors to integrate feeling devices into select prosthetics. This allows the patient to feel temperature, wetness, and even detect pain by connecting nerves to AI computer chips. Information week refers to these sensors and how AI can be used in the chips to help conect with brain waves to feel the sense of touch. This allows for patients to experinece touch and regain this important sense, which improves the overall quality of life of the patient. Although these techniques are intracite and require plenty of testing, they show promise to the future of AI use in prosthetics and allow for a whole new world of AI integration.

Sense Detection

“Esper Bionics Raises €5M to Develop Mind-Controlled Prosthetics.” Sifted, Sifted, 27 June. 2024, https://sifted.eu/articles/esper-bionics-raise-news. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Additional Movements By using AI in prosthetics, patients are now able to acheive noraml moevments that they could do with a regular body part. These movements include moving individual fingers, closing ones whole hand, and pointing at certain things. To the left is the Esper hand which is one of the most revolutionized pieces of AI prostetheses, and allows for these individual movements. These movements allow for patients to once again achieve the traditional movements they could do with their limbs before injury, or allow someone born with an amputation to learn what these movements feel like for the first times in their lives.

Between potential surgery, cost, side effects, and a lack of availbilty, there is definite concern in the scientific community as to whether or not AI intreoduction into prostehtics is worth it. There are plenty of detailed reasons which may imply scientists are moving too fast, overpricing, or not using it the right way. Depsite this, there is also plenty of information which says that AI introduction into prosthetics will make for huge strides in the community and benefit millions.

Overall Hardship

Data Analysis

By adding AI into the use of prosthetics vast amounts of data are able to be analyzed in small amounts of time. This is obviously not the case with other forms of data analysis, as those often force scientists to account for human error and slow timing. On information weeks website, they refer to how the AI computer processing speeds have allowed them to make nearly real time updates on prosthetics. The ability to update the data on these machines at a fast rate allows for scientists to constantly work at improving the machines being used for these patients.Huang, Jasmine. "How AI Is Revolutionizing Prosthetics to Refine Movement." InformationWeek, 27 Oct. 2023, www.informationweek.com/machine-learning-ai/how-ai-is-revolutionizing-prosthetics-to-refine-movement. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Lamb, Alex. "How an AI-Powered Prosthetic Arm Can Be an Accessibility Game Changer." Friendly Like Me, 10 Oct. 2023, www.friendlylikeme.com/access-spotlight/how-ai-powered-prosthetic-arm-can-be-an-accessibility-game-changer. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Cost

As with anything which uses new-generation devices and materials for building, AI prosthetics can become pricey. Some of these AI products will run patients $8,000-$20,000 (friendlylikeme.com). This is obviosuly a price which is not achievable for everyone, although scientists are working to decrease the costs of these prosthetics for patients, as the basic necessities of life should not be that expensive.

Although most of these additions require non-invasive techniques to attach these devices, some of the more intricate devices require surgical techniques to attach them. This could stray some people away from using these devices as surgery is a big deal for manmy, especially those who are very old or very young. This may deter even more people from using these advanced devices as the complications wiht surgery could be too much for some to risk. As stated before, most of these advnaced devices are actyually noninvasive, however there is still a concern of the invasivity in the medical field.

Invasivity