Film at 11: Osteocutaneous integration!!

[athelind]

Cyborg Arm Plugs Directly Into Bone.

I'm not sure if this is "wow, awesome" or "ack, squick".

Have I mentioned that I'm a little squeamish? Working in a hospital for four years did nothing to alleviate that.

I'm leaning toward the former, of course, but there's just something about pin in bone sticking through flesh that makes me squirm a little (and not in a good way). "Osteocutaneous integration" is a magnificent buzzword, but I want more details about just how they're going to keep the flesh-to-metal interface intact and prevent infection.

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Comments

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing about the integration. The human body generally freaks the fuck out when you stick something in it like that with corrosion, infection or both.

But, on the other hand, it could well be a huge leap forward for cybernetics if they have overcome those obstacles.

[tombfyre.livejournal.com]

Well I know Titanium fuses into the structure of bone with little to no problems, so if that's what they made the plug with, it should work just fine. That does look rather squicky however. ^^()

[jirris-midvale.livejournal.com]

FUCK YES.

SIGN ME UP FOR A GLORIOUS METAL BODY.

[terraluna-bat.livejournal.com]

Having metal screwed to the bone for people to "accidentally" bump into is too intense for one human being. That I know. :P

[thoughtsdriftby.livejournal.com]

Looking... They have added porous HA-coated flanges to the titanium pin. HA --> Hydroxyaptite is a biocompatible and antibacterial coating used on titanium (often plasma sprayed). The porous flanges allow the dermal layers to grow into the surface to seal the implant rather than triggering skin down-growth (like a piercing). It is a progression from studying the interface structure of deer antlers, basically by mimicking a working biologic structure.
The other key half was developing a very reliable mechanical break-away (just patented) that would prevent the bone breaking and subsequent tear-out of the post.