The Use of Prosthetics for Eating
Independent eating is a complicated function involving many parts
of the body and a good deal of coordination. Contemplate just what takes
place when a cracker is picked up and placed into someone’s mouth.
First the eyes have to judge where the cracker is and send a message to
the brain to move the hand to the location of the cracker. Once the hand
arrives at the location, the brain must instruct the fingers to assume
the appropriate positioning to grasp the cracker. The appropriate
pressure of the fingers must be included in this instruction set,
otherwise the cracker will shatter and all that will be left is crumbs.