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Copying Antler-Structure Means Better Prosthetics

tygerstripes writes "The BBC reports that a breakthrough in prosthetic technology will allow titanium to be grafted directly to the bone and then protrude from the skin without risking infection. Research by the Centre for Bio-Medical Engineering, UCL and Stanmore Implants looks into the way that the structure and porosity of deers' antlers prevents infection from entering the break in the skin. Early trials and a fairly gruesome picture show that by mimicking this they can successfully provide amputees with more comfortable, permanent prosthetics. Combined with bionic muscle and other recent developments, we may be very close to fully-integrated prosthetics."

5 of 34 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I see they have their priorities ordered... by theStorminMormon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How is this "insightful"? If this is all it takes for you to see evil, then it's no wonder you see everyone as evil. You need to seriously take a step back and breathe.

    It's entirely possible that the reason they want to use people from the bombings of less than a year ago is that people who've been amputees already have artificial limbs and rather than make them go through the hassle of experimenting with something that may or may not work (artifical limbs are very expensive to customize, take a long time to make, and take an even longer time to fully adjust) they want to go with people who probably don't have artificial limbs yet.

    I'm not saying I know what's going on, but there are a lot of reasons why this could have nothing to do with politics or evil and everything to do with getting the experiments and trials done as quickly as possible while causing the minimal amount of pain and discomfort to everyone involved.

    Until you have any idea why they are making this decision - why jump to conlusions?

    -stormin

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  2. Re:I see they have their priorities ordered... by Smidge204 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well I'm sure they were deliberately supressing research on this just to fuck with the people who've been missing limbs for years. And of course you can easily twist those words to make it seem like only victims of that attack will be given access to the technology.

    Or it could be that the bombing was just a recent, widely known event that can be used to stir emotions and pique interest in the research. Average Joe loses a leg because he didn't use jack stands while working on his car? Sad, but it doesn't compare to dozens of people killed and hundreds injured in a terrorist attack. Maybe something like that just sticks into the researcher's minds and becomes more of a motivation? Or maybe he was personally effected by it?
    =Smidge=

  3. Re:Gross by r_a_trip · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No. Absolutely beautiful! This technology will most probably enable amputees to overcome the stigma of having a prosthetic limb. This technique allows to tightly integrate the artificial body part seemlessly. That certainly is not gross, but a Godsend.

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  4. gruesome? by Elminst · · Score: 2, Insightful

    that picture is gruseome?
    Wow, the submitter must have the constitution of a nervous gerbil.

    I think that picture is pretty frickin cool, and want to see more. Anyone have more links to examples of this?

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  5. Re:I see they have their priorities ordered... by ardyng · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's also possible they want to try things out with people who have fresh amputations, who's bodies aren't neccesarily completely healed yet, as they'd have to cut into tissue to fuse the new implants. I'm by no means a specialist about prosthetics, but when you're wearing a cup-style device wouldn't the tissue between the joint and the cup get worn down?

    Also, these people won't have already learnt skills related to their current prosthetics, so they won't be 'biased' as to how they work. Kinda like trying to re-teach someone a modern coding language after they've learnt basic.

    That, and what the other poster said. These people are waiting without limbs now. People who've had issues for longer most likely already have them.