I’m missing my left foot, sims amputation from an injury I received when I was four. I slipped under a riding lawn mower and lost my foot as a result. The worst part? Prosthetics are incredibly expensive and insurance companies pay out almost nothing to afford amputees (especially the young and the old) a chance at even an average quality of life. Basically if you have the means it can be a nuisance and new technologies can simply make your life better, but if you are not well off, then you are sometimes forced to choose between being able to walk, and saving the $$$ price tag of personal bankruptcy. Anyway Hank, your incredible, thank you for being the person that you can be, and thanks even more for sharing it with us.

@GuitarZombie

6 жыл бұрын

No one wants to comment. Depending on this world gives nothing. Depending on the Lord gives everything

@RealUlrichLeland

6 жыл бұрын

Thinking about it now you'll probably end up with able bodied millionaires sprinting about at 70mph with high tech prosthetic legs before most people with leg disabilities can even walk properly...

@patrickmccurry1563

6 жыл бұрын

I wish people would stop believing the bionic man is realistic. 70 mph would require insane amounts of energy and induce stresses that would obliterate whatever organic parts remained.

@RealUlrichLeland

6 жыл бұрын

Patrick McCurry Look mate I wasn't making a comment about accurate engineering, all I was saying is that it's quite possible that this technology will become a luxury for the rich before it becomes a cure for disability. Obviously you'd need to do more than just strap a new leg on to go at 70mph, you'd need modifications all over your body. And it's still not even outside of the conceptual scope of this technology, almost everyone has a car that can travel at 70mph and cheetahs can go at 50-75mph. Within the next century I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was plausible even if it wasn't practical. You don't have to take everything so literally, it's called hyperbole.

@borttorbbq2556

6 жыл бұрын

Patrick McCurry not really humans might top out at 22mph but our theoretical natural max is 42mph.

I want to know more about the Mayan teeth!

I work in a lab where we are researching 3D printing prosthetic limbs out of continuous carbon fiber and nylon composites. It’s super interesting and one of the reasons I got into engineering!

@Draco032

2 жыл бұрын

What lab is it? I've been interested in that myself!

Such an informative video, thanks Scishow!

After recently having a craniotomy I suffered side effects from the removal of an AVM. Though I am recovering function through PT I have several dead zones throughout my leg that feel like bags of iron sand. This video is really helpful in me explaining to interested parties what its like to have this condition. it's fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Nice breakdown Hank. And thanks!

This is why I got into engineering baby! ❤️

@TommoCarroll

6 жыл бұрын

Harshil Patel yah boy!

@TommoCarroll

6 жыл бұрын

Matthew Conway hahaha

I have so much respect for people wearing prosthetics. Saw a dude running with one the other day, first time I had, and just couldn’t stop thinking: *CHAMP* - anyone with prosthetics or know anyone that does? Would love to hear your story!

@frontiermusic5187

6 жыл бұрын

Aspect Science I don’t know anyone, but have seen a fair few prosthetic-wearers and it’s always admirable!

@TommoCarroll

6 жыл бұрын

Frontier Music couldn’t agree more!

@Alex1Leg

6 жыл бұрын

I’m 17 years old and I’m a above knee amputee. I was diagnosed with bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in August of 2016. I went through a lot of chemo which was the worst part of it all, when mid to late October came around the doctor told me that the chemo wasn’t affecting the tumor located in my left knee. So he gave me a choice at 15 years old which I don’t regret one bit. Either limb salvage which meant a knee replacement or amputation. I chose amputation and can’t wait to see how much prosthetics advance in the upcoming years.

@Alex1Leg

6 жыл бұрын

Prosthetic legs are just so cool looking companies sell cosmetic covers to make it appear so much cooler as well which I have and I honestly never even wear pants anymore just because I love to show it off

@TommoCarroll

6 жыл бұрын

Alex1120 now that’s a story. I’m really sorry for the terrible things you’ve gone through Alex, and I hope you’re doing well - it sounds like you’re a strong lad with a good head on your shoulders, and it’s great that you stand by your decision! Aha yes some of those covers are insane, I’ve seen some online in the past. Have you seen the kid that received the 3D printed iron man themed prosthetic arm from Robert Downey Junior?

im taking a university course on prosthetics and orthotics, this idea is old, and has been refuted for many reasons for a long time, it has a lot of problems, from as simple as an extremly high risk of infection to the risk of direct impact force transmission to the bone, also the body mass and proportions of amputees change a lot, because of the lack of use of some muscles and abdormally high use of others, and also the vast majority of amputees is diabetic and cant have these surgeries lightly or have open wounds. Also if lets say you get into a car accident and wake up with a metal rod, you are automaticcly unable to use any oother prosthetics. This doesnt mean it will never work, its ok for a specific type of individuals, but in general, its far more incovenient than having to get used to the weight of the prosthetic. It may work in the future if it improves.

@PeregrineHawthorn

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's far easier to just make them lighter. My 2 pound hand only really starts to feel heavy after a LONG day.

@MPSGAS

6 жыл бұрын

Peregrine Hawthorn im not in any way saying that "normal" prosthetics are a perfect solution, im only stating the disadvantages of the idea expressed in this video, in order to explain why this isnt widely used, its about making the best out of a REALLY bad situation, you look young in your picture, most amputees are older and suffer a lot from the weight of the prosthetics ( not saying that you dont ), this is a problem, that, as mentioned in this video, gets a lot of attention. Technology is constantly evolving, i hope we find better solutions for you and everyone else, but this, in its current state is not it, the health riscs are severe, and it makes it impossible to use other prosthetics.

The interfaces between prosthesis (and other life improving devices) and the human body is one of the most interesting things in science today. I'm very exited to see how this "open wound" problem is solved. Also, great video as always

@Jeff121456

6 жыл бұрын

I think the answer is obvious; Prosthetics will have to be internal with an epidermis at the very least.

@Fiifufu

6 жыл бұрын

That's a good idea! I've been thinking of some sort of an adapter with a gradient from organic material to inorganic. Possibly grown from stem cells. No idea how to do this in practice though

@cptrikester2671

6 жыл бұрын

MyyMeli We already have this situation in our bodies from the time our teething is complete. I've wondered about this skeletal - atmosphere interface many times. ..ooOO If the teeth don't get infected, Could a similar environment be created for the prosthetic limb attachment?

@biohazard724

6 жыл бұрын

It's a LONG way off but I say skip prosthesis altogether and jump right into genetic modification. Lost limb? Axolotl regeneration genes. Cancer? Not with whale genes. It sounds like the ramblings of a lunatic but with a few decades of dedicated R&D we could crack open enough genomes to jury rig a new evolutionary step.

@Fiifufu

6 жыл бұрын

biohazard724 That's also an interesting and plausible idea! Furthermore, Gene editing could offer superhuman abilities, same as bionics.

That isn't enough to stop Rocket Raccoon.

@Kettvnen

6 жыл бұрын

Matteus Silvestre omegalul

I know you've been doing it forever, but I just wanted to say thanks for citing your sources. The mother of pearl teeth had me pausing scrambling to Google in seconds out of fascination, only to remember you did that.

At a recent talk I was at, a doctor heavily involved with prosthetics talked about how osteointegration was basically a dead end. I can't remember the details of it, but it basically amounted to how it caused a lot more trouble than it solved (particularly with infections) and that for leg and arm (particularly leg) prostheses the current development was mainly focused in other directions, such as sensors, processors for leg prostheses. From what he said, the case where osteointegration proved the most practical was for thumb prostheses, in part (if I remember correctly) because the necessary surgery was relatively minor.

I wonder if there would be a way to get the 'open wound' to form a sort of cuticle like with your fibger nail

@alexblack8634

6 жыл бұрын

That is a brilliant idea mimicking a already existing physiological ability.

@vickymc9695

6 жыл бұрын

At the mo they add a cup to the end that the skin grows over to try and reduce infection risk. One of the biggest barriers we have with this is that can take up to a year of surgeries to install. In that time the patient can't wear any prosthesis. Mostly it's used for people who are fit enough for the surgeries, but can't tolerate any other type of limb. (EG large amount of scaring or burns.)

@cptrikester2671

6 жыл бұрын

Vicky Mc Thanks. This answers my previous comment.

@vickymc9695

6 жыл бұрын

No worries. :) I did my dissertation on this.

Miller Lite ad on a SciShow video? You are dropping the ball, KZread.

Oh,man hank is awesome!

There's a vet in England that uses a similar technique for prosthesis in animals. Part A is inserted into the bone before skin is stiched over it and once it heals part b is attached.

Cool! I just got a dental implant and I found this video pretty fascinating! :)

Hi, some years ago you did a video on thorium reactors. Could you please do an update video? Thanks!

Another big difference is in the natural rebound an ankle/foot has. I have one prosthetic that is a blade style (like runner's Cheetah Feet but for walking) which rebounds and assists in the forward throw of a step. My other prosthetic lacks this (it has a rubber ball ankle but doesn't rebound like the blade) so I have to expend more effort lifting and throwing that leg forward. That makes it feel heavier and tires me more than the blade foot. Which prosthetic I am wearing has a large impact on my gait.

For six months I had a sub clavicle catheter in my chest (used for dialysis) that my body grew around and keeping it clean was always a priority.

This so called Endoprothesis are incredibly handy and incredibly difficult to maintain and take care of. On the plus side, an amputee can change from a everyday walking prothesis to an specialised sport protesis in seconds, on the other hand, its really difficult for the technician to properly adjust and readjust the prothesis to the fluctuatuing body weight of the user. And the open wound thing is a big problem. You basically have to keep an sterile compress over the wound 24/7 and change it regulary

People that work with prosthetics are heroes.

Excellent video.

That is really cool. I may have a foot amputated in the next few years and I hope this is easily available then

I can't think of a bad joke. I need a prosthetic brain.

@cristianverdugogalaz8725

6 жыл бұрын

ba dum tsi

@ordinaryweeb1264

6 жыл бұрын

that is bad...

What about hiccups leg, could we make one of those? Also great video im very late to

I am a through knee amputee, and I’ve seen people with this. The idea of it tho freaks me out, say I slip in the shower and land on my knee and, of course, the rod? Would the rod break and go up into my thigh? will it break my femur? While yes, titanium is incredibly strong, there are very rare occasions were they do break. I know this because before the amputation they tried to save my leg with a titanium rod; I fell over at brownie camp and it snapped, the snap had undone all the progress that had been made so far.. leaving amputation as the only option. I think it is incredible how they are coming up with all these brilliant new legs, this however is not for me.

All of you check out a programme called "Supervet" It follows the daily ins and outs of Fitzpatric Referrals - a specialist veterinary practise and he combines engineering with biology. He's invented loads of techniques, developed new ideas and solutions. Alot of his stuff it 3d printed metal. Does loads of prosthetics, and bridges - when a section of bone is destroyed, either by a tumor or traumatic injury he can bridge the gap using an endo-prosthetic custom made for each case. Retaining the limb and quality of life. Also developed an ebtire procedure for repairing ruptured discs, does hip and knee replacements. He is amazing and basically my hero.

Hank is the best

My prosthetic arm (missing both arms but just use 1 prosthetic) is annoyingly heavy, it's not even a myoelectric but the "pully system" type and I generally don't wear it since the weight hurts my back after awhile.

A little different I know but I noticed this with my prosthetic eye that I got a few year back, it feels a lot heavier in the socket than my real one did and I can feel the difference between my eyes (my real one I still have and the fake one)

could the titanium implant be copper/brass coated near the skin? copper and copper alloys are very good at killing bacteria

what about the technology used on felix the cat that stimulates the growth of a cuticle around the rod?, effectively sealing the exterior world from your insides?

What do you call a t-rex that sells guns? A small arms dealer

Watching this episode made my arm hurt... I have a plate and 7 screw in my radius. so here is a question for you Hank why does that happen?

Oscar the cat whose hind legs got cut off by a harvester in Ireland got such integrated foot limbs, and he walked around and jumped and did kitty things with his new prosthetic legs connected to his skeleton and to his new soft, movable feet. He's a miracle!

My first guess was that leg muscles aided with movement and balance, making prosthetics a bit like holding a bucket on a stick.

Neat.

could we grow skin around the whole limb so there is no opening where the prosthetic attaches to the body?

Just use a teflon micro mesh at the skin/air/titanium juncture so the skin can grow into it and form a seal.

I don't understand why 17 people would dislike a video about prosthetics. :/

Could someone explain the picture at 2:13 the whole black thing is an implant ?

As someone with a fake leg this was extremely interesting and something I may look into someday

I've always wondered how they would be able to use titanium screws in the body, my dad's unfortunately starts to shave off due to it being in his knee. I used to be so amazed and disgusted he had screws in his knee (my dad's cooler than yours, he has knee screws!), now I have two of my own.

I gotta say as someone with hypermobile eds I definitely feel the weight of my limbs sometimes!

I have a related question, how close can we currently get to wolverineing ourselves? "Asking for a friend."

Stop spying on me! One of my friends got her prosthetic leg on Friday and mentioned how heavy it felt.

Ruffini is my new favourite word, oh my god

The open would issue always seems to make me wonder how do all these "cyborgs" in games, movies etc are supposed to function. Haven't really come across any that explains how the flesh to artificial material issue is solved. Likely should look into how horns integrate with the tissue around them and replicate the materials?

Looks like my rooster was late to notify me of a new video... I guess I'm having rooster for dinner tonight!

Need Muscle Hank's input!

On The Supervet they do this technique on dogs and cats!

The human body is made up of bones, joints, and tendons, and these bones are connected to each other by ligaments. These ligaments have mechanoreceptors that help you feel how your joints are moving. But they aren't able to sense how heavy things are, so prosthetic limbs can feel like they're hanging off your body instead. Scientists have been working on a way to connect prosthetic limbs to the skeleton using a technique called osseointegration. This is where bones grow into foreign materials, like in 600 CE when the Mayans used mother of pearl to make teeth that integrated into the jawbone.

How about forcing skin to grow on the prosthesis and cover it whole, so there is no open wound and the prosthesis is basically a new limb?

Hank should have sung the song.

I'm not an amputee, so I guess I'm not the target for this tech and I don't have context for how useful this would be on the daily life of someone living without a limb. However, I've had other implanted devices (CVCs and PICC lines) and there's no way I'd voluntarily opt-in to another open wound. That's too much of an infection risk. Months without a proper shower and a blood infection landing me in the hospital is enough to keep me away. I have several relatives in my family who have prosthetic limbs from vascular complications from diabetes, including my dad. They would be poor candidates for osseointegration, as diabetics have great difficulty with wound healing (which can cause infection) and are often immunocompromised, not only from diabetes but because many of them are also transplant recipients and on immunosuppressants. This technology would be helpful to people who lost limbs in war or were born without and are otherwise healthy, but that's only half of the population which uses prosthetics. There is still a lot of room for improvement on traditional prosthetic limbs.

We'll need to create a skin-compatible, flexible tissue that integrates well with the prosthetic connector to seal this would. And with that technology, it won't be long until we can integrate micro/nano electronics to remaining nerves into said connector for even more accurate prosthetics.

They do integrated prosthesis on cats and dogs (and other animals) already with good success- look up The Bionic Vet: Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick

This is so awesome. Even while the politics of the world seem in turmoil, scientists constantly remind us why humans have the capacity for great good and positive influence in the world. Thanks for the great episode SciShow!

It never occurred to me that they could be heavy intresting.

Thanks for the enlightenment Hank 👍🏼

For leg prosthesis there is too much pressure put onto the bone and it has fractured for some patients😳

I did not know titanium was very biocompatible the more you know

@RealUlrichLeland

6 жыл бұрын

MarGuy Thatguy White paint is usually made of titanium dioxide. Titanium metal is only expensive because you need very high temperatures to purify the oxide, but it's common enough that there's entire cliffs made of the stuff

@2:54 a metal rod sticking out of your skin is an open wound.... and people think that piercings are wonderful decorations!

Why cant we build a titanium skeleton like the dental on where it grows into the titanium and the we somehow progrom our own skin to instead grow around it?

verry intresting

I feel like if we can get prosthetic limbs that can work with the nervous system they'll get really good. Once we can have them feel touch and be controlled by the body, I think they'll be pretty sick.

Imagine how hard it is for Edward Scissorhands.

@cheesecakelasagna

6 жыл бұрын

his hand design is just dumb

@CommodoreFluffy

6 жыл бұрын

wouldnt dank green be a better name?

Rang that bell.

So prosthetics are gonna be so light its almost as if there's nothing there

My body dose feel very heavy, I don't understand the question. Maybe I need a prosthetic body.

"Osseointegration" wow man that sounds totally... METAL

Can you do an episode on ligma

okay now answer the question about how the sphincter muscles don't get tired

No wonder why Edward Elric is so small

@jamesburke2635

6 жыл бұрын

Justin Y. Too early Justin, too early

@Andyhagablaga

6 жыл бұрын

WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY THEY CAN BARELY BE SEEN COMPARED TO A RICE GRAIN?!?!?! somebody had to comment like Ed

@aaaaaaaa6685

6 жыл бұрын

Justin Y. Wow we love watching the same videos

@pzzarollz

6 жыл бұрын

WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE

@ElectricHelloKitty

6 жыл бұрын

Justin Y. Savage

One step closer to becoming a cyborg. Pun intended.

just thought it was to give people an extra weapon....

I'm going to slowly replace all of my teeth with implants, as they fail of course. I'll be glad not to worry about toothaches any more.

@legacysage

6 жыл бұрын

Better hope you're a millionaire, because it'll be a few grand per tooth, and a lot of corrective work in between.

@iamzid

6 жыл бұрын

legacysage you just worry about your own financial situation, mine is adequate enough to afford the luxury.

It is the weight of what happened

Muscle Hank is busy at the gym.

Gee IDK maybe cause it's made out of more dense material.

Wouldn't you want a prosthetic limb that weights the same as the unaffected part?

I'd honestly love to know why we bother trying to make prosthetics look natural, because all it does is look weird and fake. besides, it would be way cooler to have a terminator arm anyway.

@Guru_1092

6 жыл бұрын

Local Techpriest Probably because prosthetics are often a mental issue as well.

@nicholasneyhart396

6 жыл бұрын

Agreed if I lost a limb I would take a metal arm or a pegleg over the "realistic" ones that are creepy.

@davidcampbell4908

6 жыл бұрын

If I lose a leg I want it replaced with a working chainsaw

@firethylacine1976

6 жыл бұрын

David Campbell That’s the attitude!

@MissLilyputt

6 жыл бұрын

You’d be surprised how many people don’t notice that it’s a prosthetic limb. Most people look at each others faces, and don’t pay much attention to details. So long as you don’t draw attention to it a simple glance isn’t going to attract attention. Don’t believe me? Wear different shoes like both tennis shoes or heels but different colors and you’ll find that this obvious color difference isn’t really noticeable until you mention it then it’s all that they can see. People don’t want a terminator arm because it means people point and stare, stop you to look at it, take pictures of you and generally make you feel like an oddity. It’s human nature to be curious about the things we don’t know or don’t understand. At the same time people also want to fit in, be treated like a “normal” person, and live their lives without feeling like other’s are staring and passing judgment on them.

How dare you assume that my bones are connected?! HOW? DARE? U?

That's awesome! What's coming next? Prosthetics like the ones on Star Wars, Full Metal Alchemists and other sci-fi media?

I would get one but they’re charging me an arm and a leg for it

they have muscles dont they?

How about we reach the point in biomedical technology, where we can perfect therapeutic cloning, and clone lost limbs or organs. Zero rejection.

ok that was kinda epic

Good video

Interesting

I'm early! Woo! Hello Hank :)

In a not too distant future, i hope, our Scientists may learn how to regrow human tissue 'in situ' so to speak, which would render all current prosthetic technologies obsolete.

Prosthetic limbs can also feel heavier when they don't fit correctly.

We going automail now bois

I wish they could somehow replace my amputated toes, so I can have my balance back. Better yet, if they could somehow regrow them (e.g., from stem cells). Though I doubt Medicare would ever pay for that.

Only if titanium weren't expensive.

cool 👌👌👌

Cyborgs soon™

*TINY HUMAN*