The bionic man: restoring mobility

Abstract

Bionics engineers are making increasingly bold and successful use of their tools to restore mobility to persons with missing or nonfunctional limbs. These tools include the latest materials, minielectronics and megacomputers, advanced robotic mechanisms, and algorithms. With crucial help from their pioneering users, they are learning how and where the residual sensorimotor system can be tapped in order to transmit its intents to replacement or reactivated body parts.