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Show Thursday, December 3, 1981 - Pago 16 Utah Arm Becomes Reality "perience in fitting the Utah Arm," he says. "Amputees will wear and use the arm as planned." Reflecting on nearly a decade's research, Jacobsen says: "We've had some black Saturday's, hit a few dead ends when nothing would work. Then, by talking with countless amputees, prothetists and physicians, and by locating engineers experienced in control systems design, electronics, machine design and computer technology, we began to understand how everything fit together properly. "A good artificial limb isn't the result of a single break-through- ," he stresses. 'It is a combination of everyone working together." Throughout the years, research support has come from industrial and government grants. Donations were also received from the late Maurice Warshaw, Salt Lake City philan-thropist, and from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation. The "Utah Arm," an artificial limb unequaled in design or capability, is a reality. The artificial arm is being worn successfully by eight men and women at work, home and school, says Dr. Stephen C. Jacobsen, the arm's developer and director of the Center for Biomedical Design. He is also professor of mechanical and in-dustrial engineering at the University of Utah. From the first research arms built in 1973 to the remarkably high per-formance limb now available, the center has been committed to designing a practical and functional artificial arm for amputations above the elbow. Motion Control Inc. manufactures and markets the Utah Arm through a license arrangement with the U. of U., and it is fitted by a certified prosthetist of MedArts, Inc. Both firms are in Salt Lake City. Amputees fitted with the Utah Arm have lost their limbs to cancer and in boating, "corn shucker, plywood spreader and railroad accidents. One remarkable success story is a young woman attending Brigham Young University who lost her arm at the shoulder, says J. Thomas An-drew, MedArts prosthetist. He trained at the University of California at Los Angeles and fits other ad-vanced prosthetics systems in ad-dition to the Utah Arm. According to Andrew, conventional artificial arms are difficult to fit on women who have one shoulder missing, for several reasons: there is no limb remnant on which to suspend a socket; conventional limbs are bulky, heavy and prone to fall off; and their operation is difficult because many coordinated body movements are needed to pull the cables that work the arm. "Shoulder-leve- l amputees benefit most from the Utah Arm, because it takes less physical energy to work it and it functions without gross body motions," notes Andrew. "Con-ventional arms make women look like football players wearing shoulder pads." To fit the slightly-buil- t BYU student, Andrew acquired a shoulder from - the Child Amputee and Prosthetics Project at UCLA, and carefully shaped and fitted the prosthesis. "It looks normal and she can work it," he says with a broad smilt. "She wears the Utah Arm daily. That's what counts." Amputees do not have to learn complex sets of instruction or body motions to use the Utah arm. Electrical signals generated in remnant muscles of the upper arm or shoulder control the battery-powere- d arm. Small electrodes in the artificial arm's socket touch the skin, monitoring muscle activity and providing control information to the arm. The Utah Arm moves rapidly when speed is important, yet is stable for delicate tasks. The elbow-automaticall-locks or unlocks to support loads up to 50 pounds without straining the drive system or draining the battery pack. According to Jacobsen, the arm amputees receive has one degree of powered freedom with elbow flexion and extensions, which means an electrically powered elbow joint allowing motion toward or away from the body. The upper arm (humeral) and wrist rotation are passive (not electrically powered). The hook or hand is operated by a cable. Powered humeral and wrist rotators and a powered hand will be available in 1982. The arm's design is modular, so these developments will fit easily into the notches and spaces of the present arm. Because the amputees' limb remnants, occupations or hobbies are different, the arm's external features and functions can be tailored in-dividually, he notes. The simplicity of internal modules makes repairs easy, "Internal components come apart with only a screwdriver," he says. "It there's a malfunction, simply remove the electronics or actuation systems, plug in a new set and send the other one back to Motion Control for repair." The arm's construction is the highest technology available in the prosthetics field, says Jacobsen. Major structural components are fiber reinforced, injection-molde- d plastics. The electronics are miniaturized and soon will have a micro-comput- controller. The drive system uses aerospace industry motors and drive com-ponents, he says. "We've used the best to get the highest performance possible, without relying on unproved developments that are prone to break down. Rugged, yet graceful, the artificial limb is quiet, light-weigh- t, con-trollable and reasonably strong. "It will never be the same as a natural arm," says Jacobsen. "No manmade, machine can compete with biology.! But is is a functional arm for someone who otherwise cannot manipulate everyday objects." The Utah Arm has evolved from a research idea to viable product, says Jim Moyer, vice president of Motion Control. "The arm is available today because University of Utah policies encourage the transfer and com- - mercialization of technology of in-dustry when it becomes viable," he said. For now, the Utah Arm will be fitted in Salt Lake City to establish its reliability and to allow time for training prosthetists at centers around the country, says Moyer. "We believe amputees will benefit from this procedure, because prothetists will gain valuable ex-- Supports Tax Plan Provo City Mayor James Ferguson announced his support for a new sales lax proposal at a press conference Wednesday at Utah's State Capitol in Salt Lake City. "The new sales tax proposal will provide Provo and other Utah communities with an elastic lax base," according to Mayor Ferguson. The sales lax proposal, which will be presented lo the Utah State Legislature during the 1982 Budget Session, calls for legislation that provides Utah's cities and towns with a one-ha- lf percent local option sales tax io be distributed Ferguson says. The proposal also calls for a one-hal- f percent revenue sharing sales to be distributed on a population basis over a five-yea-r "phase-in- " period, he says. "Sales lax distribution has always created tension between small towns and larger cities," explains Ferguson. "Bui this proposal is a compromise -- - everyone will benefit. Provo City, with this new proposal, will have the additional revenues necessary lo maintain our services and enhance our community." ' Briefly, the proposal calls for legislation that 1) allows up to one percent sales tax lo be distributed to local governments, 2) allows local governments the option of levying up lo one-hal- f percent local option sales lax and 3) allows the State to collect one-ha- lf percent of the current local option sales tax and to distribute funds on a revenue sharing basis. Mayor Ferguson, along with other statewide community leaders, an-nounced that Utah's cities and towns will "mount a campaign to educate state legislators about the advantages of (he new proposal." (DIP "HI 'TT sT TTx 71 n w k l CHAMBER OF COMMERCE- - Dick Bate, Garth Read, Dale Peterson, Ken ,' Cardon, George Greenwald and Debra Shelley, admire the 1974 Ford Galaxie I (valued at $1800) to be given away in the last Christmas drawing Wednesday, I Dec. 23 at Robinson Park. ( --1 IFEIIEIE bicycles many more prizes DRAWINGS: I Saturday, December 5 and 19, 2:00 p.m. at Robinson Park Saturday, December 12, 2:00 p.m. at Alberton's parking lot j3 1 Wednesday, December 23, 2 : 00 p.m. at Robinson Park f 1 The grand prize will be drawn December 23rd. Winners will have their names I posted in participating store windows. You need not be present to win. I - Reasons To Shop In American Fork I 1. Friendly, prompt, personal service 6. American Fork is within walking jj E is always available in our local distance and bicycling distance of most of I establishments. the consumers. ' ; 1 2. Service is the key in helping the 7. American Fork has good parking i" I customer with their shopping needs. ' facilities. I 3. If you shop in American Fork, you ' 8. Businessmen in town are un- - 3 are saving your time, money, and gas. dergoing changes to make it convenient 8 4. Every dollar spent at home comes for you to shop in American Fork. I back to you. 9. The stores are not so crowded you I 5. Because of other business areas want to turn around and go home. 8 around, American Fork keeps- - their, 10. American Fork works for you, I prices competitive. support your local businesses nKMWlMIIIIIIIMIlill IIMIIMIWfMIII Wt BlllfllWimWiMIBMIBMlWHWBMMMlMMMMMWill I Enter the drawing at any of these sponsoring I businesses - all stores now open late every I Friday Night f Utah Power & Light Harding Realty i I Gary's Ltd Dr. Kenneth Hooton ; Ken Cardon Insurance Allen's Super Save I 1 Harding & Harding Attorneys Mountain View Bank Dr. Joseph Liddle DDS Dr. Richard Bromley Ray L. Realty American Fork Nursery Ralph Binnall Insurance Grandma Fayes Intermountain Farmers Assn. 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Thompson j Mode-O-Da- y PGA Professional J. Blake Evans, D.M.D. American Fork City Coast to Coast Stores House of Ivins Priday's Off ice Supply Reams Smith Drug No. 2 Colonial Print Shoppe J t ; - i factory authorized Whirlpool I f'"' 11 ' "'' 8 Whirlpool Full Capacity Washer '. B The Washer: S f Model LHA 5500 I V - Handles up to 16 lbs. of I " heavy denim and twill j 1 selected load) 1 4 Automatic Cycles j .1 Bleach and Fabric I 1 Softener Dispensers I 1 I Matching Dryer: 9 y 1 Model LHE1 5800 LIMITED TIME ONLY . Custom Dry Control 1 (ii fft fF AH No-iro- n Care for 1 Ov Permanent Press I cJ)l0)l0)l0Ln 4 Drying Temps & I y Pair 3 Drying Cycles |