Electromechanical Replacement Limbs
Took me a while to get used to the noise, but I couldn't be happier.Prosthetics replacing lost arms or legs are a cutting edge application of electromechanical technology. Modern models can replicate much of the abilities of the original limb, though they are not perfect. The basis of the replacement limb is a lightweight metal skeleton. It mostly follows the layout of the human skeleton, of course, though it is simplified in places. For example, the forearm usually features a single "bone" instead of the pair of ulna and radius. The bones are connected with wires replicating tendons. These can be pulled by small but powerful electric motors, which enable the limb to move. The intricate part of prosthetic design is the electromechanical control system. Electrodes can detect nerve signals in the stump, which are translated into control signals for the motors. The control system also processes feedback from sensors throughout the prosthetic, enableing fine motor control and letting the user for instance pick up fragile objects without breaking them. In some especially advanced models, the signals from the limb's sensors are also returned to the user's nervous system, restoring the sense of touch, temperature and proprioception. The limb is covered in a water- and dustproof housing, to protect the sensitive mechanics. Depending on the preferences of the owner, this might be a lifelike rubber cover or an obviously mechanical looking design with metal surfaces. Even with a more lifelike cover, though, prosthetics are noticably artificial upon closer inspection. Their movement tends to have a precise, robotic feel to it, and despite the sound proofing of the cover the whirring of the motors and the clacking of relays is faintly audible. Many users of electromechanical prosthetics, especially of artificial hands, have specialized limbs in addition to the ones imitating biological limbs. For example, a mechanic might have an array of tools instead of fingers.
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That's a cool feature and it's a shame the electromechanical limb canot fully replace the living one. Do people who have such arms, for example, are treated different by their community? Better or worse? I suppose for some mechanics this can be an everyday experience, but common people?
Thanks! The society in my world, at least in Alpha Centauri, is kind of utopian, so there isn't any stigma against disabled people. These prostheses are not so advanced that people would replace healthy bodyparts in a transhumanist/cyberpunk way. Instead, picture a slightly more advanced and more widespread version of the kind of robotic prostheses that exist in real lives (except that there's no semiconductor technology, so it's all mechanics and analog circuits).