Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Doctors Create Prosthetic Limbs Complete with Implanted Electrodes for a “Real Feeling”
Limbs Will Change Lives
Cleveland, Ohio — Dr. Daniel Tan
and his colleagues at the Louis Stokes
Veterans Affairs Medical Centre
announced on October 10, 2014 their
discovery of new ways to make
artificial limbs feel like real limbs. The trick to making the prostheses
feel natural is the reliance on an electronic machine connected to the
amputees’ stumps. The machine-signaled limb sends a sensation to the
nerves in the body, allowing for the performance of everyday tasks
through an artificial limb.
To watch a video of this research, please visit
http://youtu.be/l7jht5vvzR4.
The breakthrough of electronic prosthetics will change the way
people with missing limbs live. Dr. Tan’s subjects report
sensations in their hands when the electronic limb is connected,
which depends on the current Tan applies. These modern
prostheses are able to signal muscles through electrodes
attached to the skin of the missing limb’s stump to perform
CategoriesProsthetics (2)Medical (4)Dr. Tan (1)Doctors (5)Electronic (7)
easy tasks. When participants were asked to compare the limb with electrodes to the
one without, the decision was undeniable. As one stated, “I’d rather have it in a
heartbeat.” The computer-generated limbs give consumers the feeling that the limb
being used is an integral part of their body.
Max Ortiz of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and his colleagues are
designing sockets to mount the limbs Tan has created, through a process called
osseointegration. The process involves implants being fixed into patient’s bones to latch
onto the limbs. This socket will allow for electrodes to control the prosthesis, allowing
for patients to comfortably and safely use their electronic limbs.
Dr. Tan has been in the medical field for over 15 years, having attended Cornell
University from 1996-2000. He is originally from Portland, Oregon, where most of his
family resides. At Cornell University he became interested in prosthetics, after a family
member lost her leg in a car accident. He opened his own practice in 2010, specializing in
the treatment of amputees.
For more information on Max Ortiz, visit http://www.chalmers.se/en/staff/Pages/max-
jair-ortiz-catalan.aspx.
Suggested Reading http://science.howstuffworks.com/prosthetic-limb.htm http://www.gizmag.com/mind-prosthesis/26382/
1 of 2PRESS RELEASE
____________________________
Doctors Create Prosthetic Limbs Complete with Implanted Electrodes for a “Real Feeling”
Cleveland, Ohio — Dr. Daniel Tan and his
colleagues at the Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical
Centre announced on October 10, 2014 their discovery of
new ways to make artificial limbs feel like real limbs. The trick to making the prostheses
feel natural is the reliance on an electronic machine connected to the amputees’ stumps.
The machine-signaled limb sends a sensation to the nerves in the body, allowing for the
performance of everyday tasks through an artificial limb.
The breakthrough of electronic prosthetics will change the way people with missing
limbs live. Dr. Tan’s subjects report sensations in their hands when the electronic limb is
connected, which depends on the current Tan applies. These modern prostheses are able
to signal muscles through electrodes attached to the skin of the missing limb’s stump to
perform easy tasks. When participants were asked to compare the limb with electrodes to
the one without, the decision was undeniable. As one stated, “I’d rather have it in a
heartbeat.” The computer-generated limbs give consumers the feeling that the limb being
used is an integral part of their body.
For Immediate Release:October 11, 2014
CONTACT:Dana SilvestriAddress: 584 Bement Ave.Cell: 347.853.3605Email: [email protected]
2 of 2
Max Ortiz of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and his colleagues have
designed sockets to mount the limbs Tan created, through a process called
osseointegration. The process involves implants to be fixed into a patient’s bones to latch
onto the limbs. This socket will allow for electrodes to control the prosthesis, which will
enable patients to comfortably and safely use their electronic limbs.
Dr. Tan has been in the medical field for over 15 years, having attended Cornell
University from 1996-2000. He is originally from Portland, Oregon, where most of his
family resides. At Cornell University he became interested in prosthetics, after a family
member lost her leg in a car accident. He opened his own practice in 2010, specializing in
the treatment of amputees.
- end of release -
