HOW “PROSTHETICS” HAS INNOVATED HUMAN EVOLUTION AND REVOLUTION ??

As I understand the word “Prosthetics” has its origin from Ancient Greek prosthesis, meaning “addition, application, attachment” . Here let’s talk about all these meaning of prosthetics in sense of how it has revolutionised the world and making it more and more advanced throughout as well.

“All great acts of genius began with the same consideration : Do not be constrained by your present reality.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

The living world is an exhibition of series of change. This can apply from the starting point of human existence until the present state. We all agree to one thing that we are evolving with time. Of course our body shapes have changed gradually over millions of years but the human mind evolved to benefit the individual. From this point of view, complex aspects of human behaviour and experience — including language, memory, and consciousness — all evolved because of their adaptive fitness. In one way or another, these features promoted survival and propagation of the human species.

ADDITION and APPLICATION prosthetics

At first , it all started as knowing human existence and fulfilling the basic needs to adapt to the environment. In order to survive we develop understanding of methods which include cognitive ability to communicate thoughts in spoken words, hunting for food or clothes etc. that would lead to greater survival, greater reproduction and colonization. We initially focused on who we are , how we create things out of natural elements water, fire, air, metal, non-metal etc so make life easier as survival . Example for addition prosthetics can be ancient architecture, weapons n then(after wheel was invented )trains, buses, guns etc.

But after a while colonisation came into life and centuries passed by, our focus shifted in making life easier not to survive but developing more human capabilities representing personality and lifestyle . APPLICATIONS prosthetics came into life for advancing and extending human capabilities. Innovations like lightbulb, electicity, calculator, telephone, aeroplane, cars, mobiles, chemicals, petroleum products, satellites, granites and more. It kept on going until last decade when programming came into the picture, which has changed the whole scenario of working with these products in more efficient manner like booking a cab , booking a flight, ordering food at home, not just a road direction but mapping of different routes and traffic using satellites , home automation, touch screen technology where everything is within your reach by a single touch.

ATTACHMENT (ENHANCEMENT) prosthetics

In application prosthetics, it was a gap or loss which got filled to make life more grandeur and lavish. But,

“Human mind always strives for activites, it never stays at rest.”- Marcus Tullius Cicero.

So now there is a whole new world developed where creating prosthetics do not just represent personality but also physicality.

“A prosthetic limb doesn’t represent the need to replace loss anymore. It can stand as a symbol that the user has the power to create whatever it is that they want to create in that space.” -Scott Summit (industrial designer)

A heart pace maker has become attachment to your body where you cannot survive if you don’t wear it.

Electronic tatto tracks muscle activity for analyzing human emotions, heart rate , electrocardiogram (EKG), physical activity, nutritional status, sleep duration, breathing rate, body temperature, and hydration etc.

Augmented Reality adds cues onto the already existing real world. Virtual reality system will allow users to physically walk around objects and touch those objects as if they were real. So now it is not only about watching a movie with superheros fighting bad guys. It is cultivated into a brand new experience of being in the virtual world where you fight the bad guys being superhero, yourself.

In the end,

“To develop a complete mind, Study the science of art ; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realise everything connects to everything else” — Leonardo Da Vinci