Bionic limbs are used to substitute a previous body part which may have been amputated as a result of birth defect, disease or even war. 8000 Lower limb amputations are performed each year in Australia and Amputees represent 1 in 1000 individuals.
To provide the amputee with a new functional and realistic body part
Technological advances have allowed prosthetic limbs to look much more realistic and more advanced than previous models. People with artificial limbs can walk, run and swim as well as more extreme activities such as rock-climbing, snow skiing and abseiling
Artificial limbs substitute for the loss of the limb
When a limb has to be amputated, something must step into its place to make up for the loss of the limb. Not considering a bionic limb can result in everyday tasks being much harder to accomplish on your own and this can decrease your purpose or value in life. These limbs make it so what has been removed can easily be replaced to resume everyday activity.
To allow more freedom and step away from dependance on others
People with prosthetic limbs will now be able to do task they could not necessarily do by themselves before. They can achieve a greater sense of independence through this limb and everyday tasks such as taking out the garbage and making breakfast will now be easily accessible to them which in turn can enormously increase their self-esteem and decrease their reliance on others.