Gallery: A True Bionic Limb Remains Far Out of Reach

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    __Body-powered prosthetic arms (1960s-1970s)__ Used to this day, the split hook on these arms is controlled by a simple cable pull. The Hosmer-Dorrance hook, seen on both arms to the right, was invented by David Dorrance, who lost his hand in a sawmill accident in 1909. The APRL hook on the left was developed for amputees after World War II. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Split-hook terminal devices (1960s-1980s)__ Each of these split hooks is operated by a cable that runs from a small thumb-like projection to a lightweight shoulder harness. When the wearer moves their arm forward or shrugs the opposite shoulder, the cable tugs at the thumb and opens the hook. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Body-powered and passive prosthetic arms (1960s-1970s)__ The hands on these body-powered arms work in much the same way as split hooks: Tension on the cable opens the hand from its pinched position. The middle arm is merely cosmetic. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Body-powered hands (1950s)__ Body-powered prostheses can rest in either the open or closed position, depending on the user's needs. The Miracle Hand on the left opens as the user puts tension on the cable, while the Sierra Mechanical Hand on the right closes with tension. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Myoelectric hand and wrist, body-powered arms (2000s, 1960s-1980s)__ Today's motorized myoelectric hand (left, foreground) has a bit more functionality than the split hooks on these body-powered arms. Electrodes pick up the user's muscle contractions and direct the hand to open, close, swivel, and bend at the wrist. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Myoelectric prosthetic arm (2000s)__ Glen Lehman wears this arm when he visits the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The wire behind the elbow leads from the arm's motors to a small processor, which interprets the myoelectric signals from electrodes beneath the black wrapping. The arm can bend at the elbow, bend and spin at the wrist, and pinch. Photo: Andres Serrano
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    __Bilateral Prostheses (mid-2000s)__ The earliest recipient of a procedure known as targeted muscle reinnervation surgery wore this rig: a body-powered split hook and a myoelectric arm. Photo: Andres Serrano
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