The University of Southampton

Author: Isobel Edmondson

How prosthetics are becoming more sustainable

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Prosthetic legs using plastic

My interests lie within sustainability and how we can be better for our environment, which led me to think about the sustainability of prosthetic limbs currently, and what research is being carried out to improve them. Prosthetic limbs use a great deal of plastic, which is made up of hydrocarbons mined from the ground. These pollute our environment and are a massive contributer to the enhanced greenhouse effect, and therefore global warming. While they do not cause as much of an issue as single use plastics do, due to their long term use, they still impact the planet once they are no longer needed. They will end up in landfil where they will slowly be broken down into microplastics that pollute terrestrial and aquatic environments. These can lead to disruptions in food chains, and sometimes even the increase in death of organisms.

Biologically Derived Plastic

Researchers have been looking into the use of polyhydroxyalkanoate, which is a bioplastic, meaning it does not origniate from petroleum, and is biodegradable. These have similar properties to plastic and are already used in many industries, therefore are a good candidate as an alterantive material. These properties include being durable and versitile, which are important when applied to prosthetics. This material is not only better due to its reduce carbon footprint and lower energy consumption, but it is also a cheaper alternative, which will make prosthetics more accessible to those needing them.

Recycled Plastics

Recycling plastic bottles is another avenue of research that is currently being explored by researchers. These researchers are hoping to produce polyester yarn from bottles that can then be moulded into artificial limbs. This is a great way of moving towards a circular economy, by taking plastic waste and upcycling it into something new, with a much longer term use. However, there are issues with this method, which include the plastic being degraded into microplastics and polluting the environment. Although, if these plastics had not been recycled, they would have degraded anyway.

Agricultural Waste

Researchers in Malaysia and the UK are attempting to use natural fibres generated within agricutlure, as a composite material in prosthetic limbs. By using waste material, this method also promotes a zero waste and circular economy, and in a low cost way. The researchers want to further this zero waste goal by using left over materials and energy and use it in other stages of production. This method won’t fully remove plastic though, and will just reinforce the plastic. Despite this, the method still reduces plastic while removing waste where possible. This is a method that could hopefully be furthered in the future and help to fully remove plastic.

Whilst making prosthetics more sustainable is important for our planet, it should not come at a cost to the wearer. Function and comfort are some of the most important aspects, but hopefully the researchered being carried out can lead to a solution that also benefits the planet. Removing waste from the environment while reducing plastic production are great ways of achieving this goal.

The future of prosthetics – mind control

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Prosthetics have come a long way, from wooden toes in the Egyptian era, to now, where mind controlled prosthetics are enabling people to feel again. Prosthetics are artifical limbs, which replace those lost either from birth or from complications later in life, and they come in 4 different types. These are transradial (below the elbow), transhumeral (above the elbow), transtibial (below the knee) and transfemoral (above the knee). Prosthetics that begin below the joint are able to have a greater range of movement easier, but developments in research are finding ways for above the knee/ elbow prosthetics to have a better range of movement and capabilites.

A recent development in prosthetics are mind controlled prosthetics. These are more technically known as neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis. By connecting to the individuals skeleton, muscles and nerves, the prosthesis can be controlled by the individual much easier, and research has found, can enable them to feel the sensation of touch. This is a major development, impacting the individual greatly.

The neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis, and how it interacts with the arm. (Irving, 2020)

A small study, which focused on people with osseointegrated prosthetics, changed their prosthesis so that electrical connectors were embedded within their nerves and muscles, to understand its functionality as well as the impact it had on their lives. The individuals mental health and social life was followed, providing great insight into how these devices can really help someone.

This study of 3 individuals, all of which had socket fittings prior to their osseo integrated prosthesis, looked at their experinece of the attachment, control, sensory feedback, practice and use, phantom limb, self image and social relations. All of which are massivly important to the individual and all impact quality of life. It was found that the osseo integrated limb was more comfortable and easy to use, and they had better control of their prosthesis, due to embedded electrodes instead of surface ones, which would often interact with signals from their environment. It was found that the limb enabled sensory feedback but wasn’t described as natural. Although the participants did not seem to overly mind this lack of natural feeling. The prosthesis was found to increase the amount of activities the individuals could participate in, and they found an increase in self-esteem.

Overall, this development in technology has greatly improved the quality of life of the individuals within the study. In the future, the industry hopes to improve the sensory feedback of these mind controlled prosthesis, allowing for better sensation of touch. Hopefully, these prosthetics will continue to improve the quality of life for these individuals and be introduced to more people.

References

IRVING, M. 2020. Mind-controlled prosthetic arms “feel” like the real thing [Online]. New Atlas. Available: https://newatlas.com/medical/mind-controlled-prosthetic-arm/ [Accessed 09/03/2023].

MIDDLETON, A. & ORTIZ-CATALAN, M. 2020. Neuromusculoskeletal Arm Prostheses: Personal and Social Implications of Living With an Intimately Integrated Bionic Arm. Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 14.

ORTIZ-CATALAN, M., MASTINU, E., SASSU, P., ASZMANN, O. & BRÅNEMARK, R. 2020. Self-Contained Neuromusculoskeletal Arm Prostheses. New England Journal of Medicine, 382, 1732-1738.

PROSTHETICS, H. S. O. A. 2019. Prosthetics: What are They and How Do They Work? [Online]. Horton’s Orthotics and Prosthetics Available: https://www.hortonsoandp.com/prosthetics-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/ [Accessed 06/03/2023].

SURGICAL, P. 2017. History of Prosthetics [Online]. Premier Surgical Available: https://www.premierprosthetic.com/02/history-of-prosthetics/#:~:text=Ancient%20Greece%20and%20Rome%20through,Ages%20saw%20only%20limited%20progress. [Accessed 09/03/2023].

Hello

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I am Issy, I do 3rd year Natural Sciences. I focus on sustainability and the environment, with some geology. In my first year I studied chemistry, physics and maths, but I moved away from that as my interests lied in the environment. In Natural Sciences we get to choose modules from different degree programmes to give us an interdisciplinary view on sciences, so this modules works well with this.

I am looking forward to learning about rehabilition in this module and the workshops.