Form or Function?

I recently found an article which featured a prototype arm prosthesis. The photo of the prosthesis intrigued me immediately because instead of attempting to mimic the form and shape of the limb, the designer took a new approach: the prosthesis did not resemble an arm but a tentacle from an octopus.

From the photo featured in the article, I immediately became fascinated. The tentacle arm designer apparently made no attempts to tweak her design to resemble a human shape. From her perspective, function was more important than form.

I began to think, would people really use a tentacle shaped arm if it restored function? Would I be willing to walk around with a fin or corkscrew shaped prostheses if it worked better than a foot/leg shaped prostheses?

When I first became an amputee, I was adamant about wearing a cosmetic cover. I remember being self-conscience about my prostheses, and I didn't want anybody to notice. At that point, looking like a "real leg" was paramount.

Had the Proprio Foot been available at the time, I suspect I would have dismissed the technology. After all, one of the drawbacks of this ankle remains its incompatibility with a cosmetic cover. In fact, not only must the ankle be exposed and uninhibited in order to work properly, a relatively large battery must be adhered to the socket.

As I became more comfortable in my new body, my concern about how others perceived me faded. After 18 months I ripped off the cosmetic cover. I no longer cared what other people thought. I was an amputee, but I was not ashamed. Function became more important.

I have learned to view my prosthetic legs as "tools" rather than a limb "replacement." I will wear any prosthetic that feels comfortable and restores function lost by my amputation. Of course, legs and feet are easy to disguise when I don't want to be obvious.

I would like to think that I would proudly embrace a tentacle arm if I was an upper extremity amputee. I wear my various legs with pride. (Of course, I know that I always have the option of wearing pants to avoid stares.) It would take a lot of courage to choose form over function when the prostheses is so visually different than the norm. I am not sure I'm that brave.