Obviously, there is still a big gap between how normal people feel about prosthetics and the real user experience.
So, after everyone got started and tested the function of the bionic arm.
A special guest arrives at the Neuro Lab.
"Tang Jian, male, 25 years old, is Zhu Jun's friend and was recommended to participate in the functional test of the bionic arm..."
In the testing room, Chen Yiqing introduced the volunteers who came for testing.
This was a young man in his early 20s who looked very energetic. When he walked in, he made a clicking sound.
But after everyone glanced at the empty right leg of his pants, they immediately understood where the sound was coming from.
In addition to the disability of his right leg, his left hand is also missing. The entire hand and forearm disappeared, leaving only the incomplete upper arm and empty sleeves.
Tang Jian didn't feel any awkwardness under the gaze of everyone. He stood by with a smile and listened quietly.
But as he listened, his eyes gradually became wandering, and his thoughts returned to three years ago.
Not long after graduation, a car accident took away his right leg and left hand at the same time.
After being discharged from the hospital, Tang Jian went through a long period of recuperation at home, proper exercise, and slowly walking on crutches, before he calmly accepted the fact that he had become disabled.
Three months later, he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. After two months of practice, he threw away the crutches and learned to walk again.
He is equipped with a skeletal calf prosthesis, which weighs only 1.5 kilograms. The socket surrounding the thigh is connected to the sole of the foot by a thin steel tube, and he can walk normally wearing shoes.
Generally speaking, it is relatively light and comfortable. Even though its functions are limited and it can only be walked at a slow speed, it does not affect his daily travel.
Unfortunately, hand prostheses are very lackluster compared to the wide variety of leg prostheses that are fully functional.
There are few options for working hand prostheses, their functionality is poor, and user satisfaction is very low.
These hand prostheses are designed to closely resemble real hands.
Not only does it have a flesh-colored appearance and a tough texture like a bandage, it is very similar to his remaining right hand, and it also simulates the skin folds and nails.
Although it looks good, it is just a passive prosthesis, and its only function is to make disabled people look healthy.
It is completely impossible to perform any actions such as typing or raising a glass, and it is not waterproof.
After only one day of trial, Tang Jian gave up on the prosthetic hand.
This thing is not as useful as his half stump. Wearing it is a complete burden, and you have to worry about damage due to bumps.
Without this prosthetic limb, he can still use his residual limb flexibly to operate on the touch screen, chat and play games with his friends.
As for bionic smart prosthetics, they only exist in foreign news, and no domestic manufacturer has successfully developed them.
After all, human hands have too many functions, and hand prostheses cannot completely compensate for the lost functions of the hands.
Even the most basic holding operations cannot be performed.
Therefore, Tang Jian quickly lost all illusions about hand prostheses, and started the life of a one-armed hero with half of his missing arm naked.
Since he still has one arm, he has not lost the ability to take care of himself and life is not that difficult.
Unlike people who have lost both arms and can only use their feet to eat, read, and twist bottle caps.
He even developed a hobby in gaming and got together with Zhu Jun, playing e-sports competitions for people with disabilities in his spare time.
When the brain-computer interface first appeared, he was also excited about it, thinking that his spring was coming.
However, it was quickly discovered that Sanqing was very cautious in using this device and only used it to assist paralyzed patients in their daily lives.
A person like him who still has two limbs and can even dress himself and type does not meet the clinical requirements at all.
After calming down, Tang Jian could only hope that Sanqing would develop a real bionic prosthesis as soon as possible to save him from the fire and water.
Now that he has prosthetic limbs, he can stand up and walk, but he can only use them.
You can't run, you can't exercise, the experience isn't that good, and it's incomparable to real legs.
Because there are no sensors on the prosthetic limb, he cannot sense the environment through the prosthetic limb. He must always pay attention when walking and cannot use too much or too little force, otherwise it will be difficult to correct these mistakes.
And no matter how good the impression is and how sophisticated the craftsmanship is, the same prosthetic limb cannot always be used.
An unavoidable reality is that the muscles near the residual limb will gradually atrophy over time, the prosthetic leg will slowly shorten by one or two centimeters, and the mobility experience will become worse and worse.
The prosthesis needs to be replaced promptly after installation, and he has already done so once.
After changing to a pair of prosthetic limbs, you still need to be guided by someone to practice walking, which will take at least a week to get used to.
Not to mention losing a hand, many good jobs were closed to him.
It is basically impossible to achieve any good development.
The only thing Tang Jian is glad about now is that his accident happened after he graduated and he was not disabled since he was a child. This at least did not hinder his parents.
However, things soon took a turn for the better.
He still remembered that Zhu Jun called him excitedly two days ago.
"Xiaojian, are you interested in participating in Sanqing's bionic hand function test?"
Seeing the good news falling from the sky, he immediately agreed without even asking what he wanted to do.
This led to today’s trip to Sanqing Headquarters.
Soon, Chen Yiqing finished the introduction and led him to the workbench.
Tang Jian saw the bionic manipulator placed on the table at the first sight, and his breath was suffocated.
The silver-gray metallic texture, the smooth spray-painting process, the patchwork gradient colors, and the graceful hand lines all fascinated him.
"Is this the bionic hand prepared for me?" Tang Jian's voice was trembling.
"That's right." Chen Yiqing picked up the robotic arm and handed it to him: "What do you think?"
Tang Jian held this bionic hand and watched it admiringly, fascinated by its exquisite craftsmanship.
The prosthetic hand has a slender shape, the arms are silver-gray, the fingers are darker, and the joints are darker. Overall, it is very beautiful, with a very layered gray color.
The bionic palm is tightly connected to the power source and can be removed by rotating it.
The palm of your hand is filled with dense sensors, signal amplifiers, and chip processors.
The power supply part containing the battery, cables and electrodes just fits into the arm.
The black knuckles are controlled by separate motors, so each finger can move freely without hindrance.
He fiddled with a finger at will, and it was easy for him to make common movements such as curling and extending his fingers.
Along with the movement of the fingers, a "buzzing" sound of the motor was heard, as faint as the whine of a mosquito.
The whole picture was so sci-fi, and it instantly gave him an extremely shocking impact.
"Wow, it's so sci-fi. If I install such an arm, I won't become a Terminator, right?"
Tang Jian shouted excitedly, his eyes filled with surprise.
"Haha, don't worry. It's still a sample test now. When it is actually launched, the color will definitely be changed to the same color as the real hand." Wang Dali smiled happily at the side.
This futuristic design is his painstaking work, and it is truly worthy of pride to be loved by users.
Tang Jian said quickly: "No, please don't. I just like the Terminator-like design. If it were made to look like a real hand, it would have no personality at all."
"Ah, please, don't change it. Flesh color doesn't look good, but metal looks good."
Wang Dali scratched his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly realized something.
"It turns out that you 20-year-olds like such unique designs. No problem, I will make two styles, one simulation style and one personalized style. You can use whichever one you like."
"That's great. Hehe, I just like something a bit more personal. The texture and luster of this metal. Wow, it's so cyberpunk. It's so cool."
Tang Jian was instantly overjoyed. The more he looked at the bionic hand, the more he liked it. In his mind, he had already begun to imagine himself becoming the "Silver Hand Man".
"When can I put it on?" he asked impatiently.
"Wait a minute, we need to do some tests on you first," Chen Yiqing said with a smile.
"Body weight, activity status, residual limb condition, muscle compression, upper arm nerve distribution, etc., all need to be taken into consideration to find the most suitable matching solution for you."
He looked Tang Jian up and down, and his eyes fell on the long sleeves of his shirt.
"You have to change your clothes first, from long sleeves to short sleeves, exposing both arms."
"The nerve at the end of your upper arm should have begun to atrophy, and you need to undergo a certain degree of electrical stimulation treatment to wake it up before you can feel the electrical signals again."
Tang Jian nodded, followed the staff and changed into loose shorts and shorts, and then did a detailed physical examination.
After returning, his arm was disinfected and then a bionic arm was installed.
Almost instantly, Tang Jian felt a slight soreness and numbness at the end of the stump, like an electrostatic reaction.
He excitedly stretched out his other hand and gently stroked the bionic hand, greedily wanting to experience the long-lost soft touch.
A miracle happened. Even without looking at the bionic hand, he still felt someone touching his hand.
But, that's all.
Touching his other hand, you can't feel how soft it is, whether there is any warmth, and more details.
"Part of the nerves in the stump of your arm have atrophied and are not as developed as normal people, so the reaction will not be so sensitive at first."
Chen Yiqing explained while observing his reaction.
"It takes a period of training to stimulate the remaining nerves through continuous electrical pulses and make them sensitive again, so that full functions can be restored."
Tang Jian nodded, his heart filled with joy.
He was satisfied that the lost hand could grow back and regain touch.
The rest is nothing more than training. As long as there is enough time, you will definitely be able to recover completely.
"The tactile neurofeedback has not been fully restored for the time being, but there is no problem with the hand movements."
"The bionic hand has more than 30 different holding modes and gesture positions. Let's start testing with the six basic functions."
Chen Yiqing raised the corners of his mouth and showed the familiar smile again.
"The first function is grasping," he took a hard-boiled egg from his pocket and handed it over.
"Try grabbing something round or cylindrical, like this egg."
Wang Dali watched from the side and couldn't help but complain: "Chen Bo, are you Doraemon? Why do you always take out weird things from your pocket?"
Chen Yiqing smiled slightly and ignored it.
Tang Jian slowly stretched out his bionic hand, carefully approached the egg in Chen Yiqing's palm, and adjusted his strength based on the feedback before firmly grasping the egg.
Chen Yiqing retracted his hand and applauded enthusiastically.
"Well done!"
"Next, try the second function, pinch."
He took out a ballpoint pen from his pocket, placed it on the table, and spread his hands.
"Pick up the pen with your thumb and forefinger and place it in my hand."
Tang Jian successfully controlled the bionic hand, picked up the pen and sent it back.
He is getting more and more skilled now.
These simple operations can be completed with just a thought.
You can simply follow your heart and do whatever you want, and it feels no different from your original hand.
Next, Chen Yiqing asked him to try a series of operations such as clamping thin objects, such as badges, holding up a bowl, and typing on the keyboard.
Finally, he was even asked to lift a 5kg briefcase.
After testing the six functions of holding, pinching, clamping, holding, pressing, and lifting, they all completed the task perfectly.
Everyone is happy with this.
"Very good, that's all for today's test."
Chen Yiqing smiled and said: "It's almost time to get off work. You can go home and rest. Come back tomorrow morning. We will do further tests then."
Tang Jian was a little surprised: "Don't you take off the bionic hand? Aren't you afraid that I will run away with it and not come back?"
Chen Yiqing shook his head and said with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about."
Wang Dali interrupted: "Your hand will send data back regularly. If it cannot receive instructions, it will automatically shut down and automatically locate."
Tang Jian smiled awkwardly: "I think so. You must have your own way to control it."
He changed back into his clothes and waved goodbye to everyone.
While walking on the road, thinking back to what he saw and heard today, Tang Jian couldn't help but feel like he was in a dream.
Is all this true?
My hand back?
He looked down involuntarily.
Even with his hands lowered, he could still see his distinctive metal left hand.
After a while, he passed by a convenience store. Suddenly his heart moved and he walked in.
He was a little eager to try it. He wanted to see how it would feel to use this hand in daily life.
There were a dazzling array of goods on the shelves. Tang Jian picked up a bottle of water without even looking at it.
He didn't know why, but he was thirsty.
I was so busy in Sanqing that I didn’t drink much water.
He held the water bottle with his bionic hand, walked to the cashier, and handed it over.
"How much does a bottle of water cost?"
The cashier was a young girl. When she saw his bionic hand, she couldn't help but be stunned.
Tang Jian had some expectations in his heart. He wanted to know how the other party would feel and what he would think of him.
In the past, when others saw his mutilated arm, they would look at him with pity.
Now, what will be the reaction if it is replaced by a bionic hand?
The little girl subconsciously took the water, but did not scan it immediately.
Instead, he pointed at his hand and asked with a look of surprise.
"Is this a bionic hand of yours?"
"Yes." Tang Jian nodded, a little surprised.
He didn't see any pity or disgust in the little girl's eyes.
Instead, there was deep curiosity.
"Wow, that's amazing, so special." The little girl put the water on the counter, stretched her neck, and looked hard at his hands.
"Brother, can you let me touch you? I promise, I will only touch you once." She couldn't help but plead.
At this time, in addition to curiosity, the little girl's eyes also had deep expectations.
Tang Jian lifted up his sleeves, exposed his whole arm, and stretched it out: "Here, feel free to touch it."
"Wow! It's so cool!" The little girl covered her mouth and screamed with excitement.
She carefully reached out her hand, lightly touched the back of the bionic hand a few times, and then touched her palm and arm in turn.
The expression on his face was excited, shocked, and also tinged with desire.
"Brother, can I take a photo?" The little girl looked at him timidly, blinked, and her eyes were full of expectation again.
"Okay. You can just take a video." Tang Jian said openly. It was rare to meet someone who could appreciate it, and he wanted to share his joy with him.
"Brother, you're so kind. I'll treat you to this bottle of water."
The little girl screamed again, quickly scanned the QR code to pay, and handed over the water before Tang Jian could react.
Then he immediately took out his phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it firmly at his hand.
Tang Jian chuckled, stretched out his bionic hand, first grasped the bottle, and picked it up.
Then handed it to the other hand.
Then use the bionic hand to twist the bottle cap and open the water bottle very easily.
The moment he unscrewed it, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
It's good to have both hands intact. If it were before, he would have to hold the water bottle with his thighs and apply force on the bottle cap with both hands before he could unscrew it.
Don't say whether you are tired or not, just say this posture is very unsightly.
How could it be as easy as now?
Then, he raised his silver-gray bionic hand and waved goodbye to the little girl.
"Beauty, thank you for the water. Goodbye!"
Turned around and strode out.
(End of chapter)
