Alternate Control Technology Methodologies for Cybernetic Prosthesis: Difference between revisions

<br>Prior experimentation with alternate control apparatuses have been hampered by the size of existing components and their suitability for safe installation.  This kept most alternates from moving beyond the prototype or early trial stage, and had remained an unresolved challenge for a subset of patients.   

After atypical nervous system damage suffered while on duty as a Starfleet security officer, a 26-year-old (Earth Standard) female metagenetic Klingon suffered a loss of prosthetic control concurrent with severe physical discomfort.  Due to the extensive nature of the nervous system damage, standard prosthetic control methodologies were discovered to be non-viable.  Working in tandem with the primary attending physician, the Engineering team of the USS Veritas (Starfleet Registry NCC-95035) designed, tested and implanted a novel transceiver module which provides positive prosthetic control without further stress on the patient’s nervous system.  This module, after proper peer review, will allow for a radical new archetype in prosthetic design and implementation in humanoid subjects.

A 26-year-old (Earth Standard) metagenetic Klingon female Starfleet security officer, was critically injured in the line of duty on Stardate 239601.12 when her right arm was severed by an indigenous predator on the previously uncharted world Limbo.<ref>[https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Limbo_(Veritas) "Limbo (Veritas)"] Starbase 118, Stardate 239601.12</ref>  Field conditions did not allow for the standard therapeutic treatments of bio-grafting, and the subject was forced to remain in an injured state for several months with only minimal medical resources available to control shock, blood loss, and infection. Subsequent infections resulted in the complete amputation of the arm.

<br>[[File:Vladislav-ociacia-hands-arm-wrestling-2.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Patient's new prosthetic.]] Several Starfleet engineers serving with the patient became aware of her condition and began examining the data provided by attending medical staff regarding the component malfunctions.  Working in tandem with medical staff, the engineers began a comprehensive disassembly of the patient’s prosthetic, with which they already had some familiarity due to improvised repairs and upgrades conducted at an earlier juncture.  They discovered that numerous control components of the original prosthetic were severely damaged and began laboring to extract them in an attempt to save the existing unit.  In the course of their repairs, the nature and extent of the damage to the patient’s nervous system became clear, which led the team to the conclusion that standard surgical approaches were insufficient.  In an effort to provide an immediate, workable solution, the Engineering team approached the patient’s injuries in the same manner in which they’d approach shipboard damage control efforts - they attempted to bypass the damaged systems and reroute the nervous system control impulses.  After performing a series of simulations to verify their hypothesis, the Engineering team began modifying a pair of subspace transceivers to serve as a replacement for the standard neuro-servo control interface that would not rely on the damaged brachial nerves.  Subsequent assembly and testing was conducted rapidly and, post repairs, the patient was again able to manipulate her prosthetic effectively and without accidental input or injury.     

The patient has since taken a leave of absence from active duty but after significant nervous system rehabilitation, follow-up consultations with her medical team point to a full integration with this new interface design with a significant improvement in neural feedback levels over the existing standard.

<br>As the use of various types of prosthetic limbs becomes more extensive, the techniques and technologies employed in this case may be utilized, adapted, and developed to assist patients in maintaining their quality of life. As a result, we expect that Starfleet officers experiencing traumatic amputation in the line of duty will not face a mandatory reduction in their duties after successfully undergoing the above therapies.

While non-physically linked control of a prosthetic has been tested successfully in the past, limitations in micro-subspace transceiver design, bandwidth and power source have rendered experimental designs non-viable for implementation outside of controlled studies.  This new design builds on several recent breakthroughs in multiple scientific and engineering disciplines which, if successful long term, could point the way to a completely new means for injured patients to interface with and control prosthetic appendages.  The unconventional approach is readily adaptable to any extremity and may even serve in cases of plasma shock, neuro-electric cascade and other traumatic nervous system injuries.   

To be filled in momentarily.

[[Category:Journal of Starfleet Medicine]]