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Bionics - what does it actually mean?
I've dealt with this every day since I became an amputee myself. This section is the basics - the place to start before you move on to the more detailed topics elsewhere on the site.Artur Wąsowicz, foundation founder, prosthesis user since 2020
Bionics - a definition
Bionics is an interdisciplinary field of science and engineering that studies the biological processes, structures and mechanisms found in living organisms, and then uses that knowledge to build technological solutions, devices, materials and systems.
Educational content: descriptions of technologies and prosthesis types are for information only. Always discuss the choice of specific prosthetic equipment with an orthopaedic doctor and your prosthetist.
Where to start
The history of prostheses
From wood and metal to carbon fibre and electronics. How prostheses changed alongside medicine and technology.
How a prosthesis works
The basics of gait biomechanics and prosthesis design. Why fitting the whole set-up matters more than any single component.
Types of amputation and prosthesis
Above-knee, below-knee and upper limb. How a prosthesis differs depending on the level and site of amputation.
Prosthesis components
Socket, knee, foot, adapters. What each part does and why the socket matters most of all.
Materials
Silicone, gel, carbon fibre, thermoplastics. What a prosthesis is really made of today.
Types of control
Mechanical, microprocessor, myoelectric. The differences, without the marketing jargon.
Microprocessor knees and feet
Electronics that adjust resistance to the gait phase in real time. An everyday standard for years now, not an experiment.
We keep the list of prosthetics manufacturers in the Resources section, and we cover research into new technologies in Innovations.
Come across a term you don't know?
Look it up in the glossary in Resources - one place with every definition from across the site.
Open the glossaryPrefer watching to reading?
In „Proteza w Realu" (Prosthesis in Real Life) I test prostheses and components in everyday life - from a user's point of view, not a manufacturer's.
Watch the series on YouTube