Immaculate arm



This prosthetic arm was designed by Hans Alexander Huseklepp, a designer in Norway.



It is designed to be connected to the wearer's nervous system, like the most advanced, but less aesthetically designed, prosthetics currently are.



Because each of its joints is a globe joint it is capable of a larger freedom of movement than a normal human arm.



The exterior parts of the arm are made from the plastic Corian, the inner layer is textile.



This image is a model built to demonstrate the concept.



(Image: Hans Alexander Huseklepp)

Out of uncanny valley



Huseklepp says that he wanted to get away from traditional designs, which hide their technological skeletons under silicone rubber.



"They imitate the look of a natural arm perfectly but as soon as someone touches it they realise it’s a prosthetic," he says.



This can make things awkward due to an effect dubbed "Uncanny Valley", a term used to describe how close mimics of human appearance seem more creepy than more stylised attempts.



(Image: Hans Alexander Huseklepp)

Handle with care



"Pity them who have broken their leg, not for the inconvenience of their condition, but for the ugliness of the prosthetic devices they have to contend with."



That's how designer Damien O'Sullivan describes his motivation to explore different styles for prosthetics.



He thinks this porcelain cast will be an object to be treasured once the wearer has recovered, rather than cast aside as a reminder of misfortune.



(Image: Damien O'Sullivan) Advertisement

Brace yourself



This back brace has been designed in the style of a corset to help wearers "recover the pleasure of getting dressed," says its creator Francesca Lanzavecchia.



Each plastic brace is custom-fitted to the wearer. Other versions of the brace sport tattoo-style designs or feature piercings to resemble the modifications made to real skin.



(Image: Francesca Lanzavecchia)

Ironic design



Lanzavecchia designed this cane to "ironically flaunt" the health problem that might cause someone to need it. The stick's pitted appearance is a replication of the effects of osteoporosis on bone.



Another in the series has a handle made in the shape of a ball and socket joint, like the hip.



(Image: Francesca Lanzavecchia)

Legs cast in soil



Aimee Mullins is an actress, model, athlete and bilateral amputee. She has 12 pairs of prosthetic legs.



They include a pair of Cheetah legs used for sports, an everyday pair with springs and shock absorbers, and decorative pairs that are transparent or carved from wood for the catwalk and photo shoots.



Here Aimee wears legs that are cast in soil, complete with potatoes, in a photo taken by visual artist Matthew Barney for his film Cremaster 3.



(Image: Matthew Barney, courtesy of the Gladstone Gallery)

Subversive fashion



Mullins strode down the catwalk wearing these carved legs from designer Alexander McQueen, kickstarting her modelling career in 1999.



Mullins says that her achievements in the realm of fashion and the arts have done "as much if not more" than her sporting successes to challenge the notion that wearing a prosthetic limits what a person can do.



Part of the reason is that it makes it possible to deal with a "worthy" subject with a light touch, she says.



"Poetry and whimsy matter. The glamour of the catwalk makes it easy to change someone's beliefs before they even realise their views have been challenged. It's more subversive than science or sport".



(Image: Archive of Aimee Mullins)

Glass legs



Mullins's "glass legs", here stuffed with earth and potatoes, are actually made from the kind of clear polyurethane used to make bowling balls.



"The way people view disability is changing," Mullins told New Scientist.



"All sorts of people from all sorts of disciplines are getting involved in the conversation around prosthetics and the body – people are starting to look at things that have been medical rehabilitation or assistance devices as objects of desire".



Read an interview with Mullins here.



(Image: Matthew Barney, courtesy of the Gladstone Gallery)

To wear or not to wear



This feather cuff, designed by Tonya Douraghy, gives the wearer a choice if they don't want to mask their missing limb completely with a prosthetic.



It is meant to be worn over the residual limb, slipped on over the stump. They can design it so that the stump is either hidden in the feathers, or out in the open.



Douraghy says, "In one sense, it is aesthetic adornment but also an alternative to being forced to complete the amputated limb in a life-like way".



(Image: Tonya Douraghy)

Feather light



This feathered wing is designed to be used in a similar way. Designer Carli Pierce says it can either be fitted over a residual limb or used to decorate a conventional prosthetic.



Pierce describes it as "an accessory that encourages the amputee to wear something fanciful and delicate, rather than utilitarian and industrial".



(Image: Carli Pierce)

Telescopic foothold



Hugh Herr heads the biomechanics group at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a professional climber until he had an accident that led to both of his legs being amputated.



Herr continued to climb, though, and started making his own prosthetics to improve his climbing abilities.



This photograph shows his telescopic legs, which can be made longer or shorter as circumstances demand.



(Image: Hugh Herr)