Hydraulic Prosthetic limbs
Prosthetic limbs have been around for centuries on Aleridon. The original inventor was named Delmar Finch and was a renowned physic (doctor) of medicine and the treatment of illnesses. He had grown tired of watching his patients suffer from the loss of arms or legs and devised a way to help them get back up on their feet so to speak. (Gearbox Wheelchairs were still a thing then.) The limbs were created in a clockwork system of gears and steam-powered pistons. Each day the user would have to fill the pistons with steam and refill throughout the day. The steam system had to be maintenanced every month by a certified mechanical expert and bathing was an issue, since you could not remove the artificial limb to take a bath or shower. One would have to cover the limb or hold it out of the water in order to bathe.
Things have come a long, long way since then with the invention of the hydraulic piston. The prosthetics now work on these to move instead of steam power that the original design used. The limbs work and move like real limbs would, and are connected to the nerves and tissues of the user via surgery to attach them. Some maintenance is involved in the care of these limbs but they are the safest builds yet and allow the user to fully soak in a tub or shower. The user, however, must dry them completely and oil the gears, hydraulic pistons, and the working cables after each soaking. The hydraulic systems must be checked by a mechanical expert each year and maintained for rust every six months. Yes, indeed, the hydraulic system is much better than the steam version, but we must think about the past in order to gain the future.
All in all, it's not a bad alternative to wheelchairs, which have also come a long way from the old gearbox style, but that's for another time. Thank you and good day to you ladies and gentlemen, for coming to this seminar on the historical significance of the hydraulic prosthetics of today.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments