The fabrication of artificial limbs...

One area of bioengineering that I find particularly fascinating is the fabrication of artificial limbs. Presently, some researchers are making brain activated limbs that move more like a natural limb.

These cutting edge limbs are connected to the old nerves that were originally connected to the natural limb. The nerves are connected to a nearby muscle that can then get signals from the brain. In turn, the brain signals activate movement in the artificial limb, closely mimicking how a natural arm or leg would function.

The following video that I watched on Youtube demonstrates in more detail how these limbs function:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6R5bm6qx2E

"YouTube - Cutting Edge Prosthetic Arms." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 16 Sept. 2009. .

This area of bioengineering innovations combines physics, biomechanics, anatomy, and chemistry. It is remarkable how many types of sciences go into the fabrication and creation of one single limb.

These mechanical wonders are brilliant in design, but they are more than complicated little machines. They are vital for the lives of those who lost their limbs and can no longer function independently. Bioengineering goes beyond the making of "cool machines" or the fabrication of synthetic materials for the body. The overall goal of bioengineering will always come down to improving the health and well being of others, whether it be in the process of making an artificial limb, developing a screening process for a disease, or finding a new vaccine to prevent the H1N1 virus...