Prosthetic arm development and AI (artificical intelligence) to address user needs [review]

Academic researcher Cosimo Gentile writes somewhere on the internet:

Today, artificial intelligence is advancing in every field, offering incredible opportunities. In prosthetics, it can potentially bridge the gap between the device and the person. Yet, something remains missing. For years, it has been clear that despite significant technological progress, prosthetics often fail to meet the real needs of individuals with amputations. The abandonment rate for prosthetics is high, satisfaction is moderate, and in some cases, people opt for cosmetic prosthetics to hide what is missing. This raises a question: AI can simplify complex processes, but are we truly addressing what is needed to help those with disabilities? The contrast between research prototypes and commercial devices should make us pause and reflect on where our focus lies. Maybe I’m wrong… maybe.

That must be a joke. Definitely.

From a hard user view, I’m interested in a prosthetic arm that is explicitly not built for obsolescence, that isn’t a massively overpriced useless junk in that it doesn’t give up function at the first sight of sweat, and in that it doesn’t have a control error rate in field use (not lab setting) in excess of ~0,03%, and in that it doesn’t require more than 1-2 repairs a year under normal full use, and in that it doesn’t at all chafe up my skin, like the usual setups do as early as 1-2 h into use.

As you see, academics and industries are interplantary distances away, so I am not asking not much – what I do is asking much. Far too much. They said I ask far too much, wanting to live a normal life – as arm amputee, what am I, crazy? In their eyes, and I did ask around, I am crazy. We could discuss this from an epistemic angle [link] – but you also never wanted to go there, we know that, too.

But let us be understanding as another year goes out where the only thing that can be reasonably worn is a body powered hook or gripper: as the various professional agendas of manufacturers (profit oriented), technicians (business oriented), insurance (budget oriented), academics (journal impact oriented, hip buzzword research orientation re. what is “hip”), etc seem all somewhat rational and somewhat understandable from their point, but as they certainly don’t directly overlap with my specific user goals, it’s absolutely no wonder I do have a near perfect experienceafter I started solving a relevant part of my own technical problems myself, as user.

That certainly did not change in 2024.

In 2025, I will again be right having stated around 2008 that in decades to come, body powered hooks will remain the only prosthetic arm that reasonably can be worn. We now count year 17 of that particular single absolute truth that prevails. But they know all that! [link]

So, no need at all to bring in yet another buzzword into the already overburdened academic prosthetic arm research buzzword bingo. AI as in artificial intelligence may not be needed just that much as actual CI, “caring intelligence”, by someone that actually applies themselves. That sure doesn’t abound either. Not in the exact sense as laid out here. To put it  more directly: these people do not give a bleep. They rather shove responsibility to buzzword container AI than to address even one single aspect of personal responsibility directly. It may now be time to turn the large cannons, the sharp laser pointers, or the little fluff balls of our attention on what is the actual problem at work here. It is not technology. It is not cost. It is not material availability. It is not designs being made unavailable or placed out of reach. Nope. What then is it? What questions aren’t we asking? And why aren’t we asking these?

For now, all of y’all look after yourself, whereas we here all are left to look after ourselves, which is one hard fact if ever there was one to accompany that other truth –  and so as you realize that from our of your “pilot” seat this could have been handled differently but wasn’t, either out of ignorance, or cynicism, we agree that neither are nice explanations, so probably best to just look away. Your shred rate may vary.


Cite this article:
Wolf Schweitzer: swisswuff.ch - Prosthetic arm development and AI (artificical intelligence) to address user needs [review]; published 28/12/2024, 15:56; URL: https://www.swisswuff.ch/tech/?p=13812.

BibTeX 1: @MISC{schweitzer_wolf_1738965556, author = {Wolf Schweitzer}, title = {{swisswuff.ch - Prosthetic arm development and AI (artificical intelligence) to address user needs [review]}}, month = {December}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.swisswuff.ch/tech/?p=13812}

BibTeX 2: @MISC{schweitzer_wolf_1738965556, author = {Wolf Schweitzer}, title = {{Prosthetic arm development and AI (artificical intelligence) to address user needs [review]}}, howpublished = {Technical Below Elbow Amputee Issues}, month = {December}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.swisswuff.ch/tech/?p=13812} }