On The Evolution of Bionics and Human-Machine Interfaces

This paper provides a simple and general overview of the history of bionics as a field and the historical milestones of the development of prostheses. This paper covers early prostheses to modern developments like myoelectric prostheses, cochlear implants, neuroprostheses and BCIs. Modern advances illustrate the use of microprocessor technology and the development of assistive technologies to augment or restore human capabilities. This paper is designed to highlight the growing overlap between biology and engineering and the potential to develop technology that can both restore functionality and augment natural faculties.