Last updated 3/12/05. Back to my index page .

I am going to describe a project which I believe will be exceptionally beneficial. As I shall explain, the rewards of the project will include

• the relief of suffering for fifty thousand children around the world,
• substantial progress on the biophysics of bone growth,
• development of biotechnology based on physical fields,
• solution of human-computer interface issues,
• improved medical utilization of science and mathematics,
• an interdisciplinary framework for research and teaching,
• creation of a new industry of intelligent prosthetics.
• an American contribution to the worldwide quality of life

About once in one hundred thousand births, a child is born with PFFD. This acronym stands for a syndrome in which leg (or arm) bones do not grow properly, in length or orientation.

I had previously been told that the condition must be treated to avoid severe consequences to general health. However, a recent letter from someone with the syndrome points out that prosthesis can be an alternative for some individuals. It is not my purpose to suggest that one response is better or more appropriate than another. All I am attempting to do is to make some technical information available that may be of value for various treatment options.

Prosthesis, for instance, could be an increasingly attractive solution due to the technological leverage. As material science and servomechanisms (e.g., via so-called micromechanical systems) improve, so should prothetic devices. Mechanical engineering is what Western medicine does best. Though artificial limbs have disadvantages, too, mobility is quite important.

In the opposite direction strategically are various surgeries which are alternatives to amputation . An experimental bone-lengthening procedure, using surgery and surgically pinned devices, is able to largely correct the problem - at a severe cost in terms of money and discomfort. Along with surgery, physical therapy must be performed to make the muscles and tendons keep up. See the work by Dr. Paley (and some others) pointed to on the PFFD virtual support group web site.

I believe PFFD could be treated by using a bone-stretching device that works more gently and slowly, in the fashion of braces on the teeth. Intelligent prosthesis would be able to hold the ankle as firmly but safely as a mother's hands. The device might use MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) or piezoelectric technologies and would avoid the software bottleneck by utilizing neural network and genetic algorithm approaches to determine optimal stretching strategies. Combining stretching with slight magnetic or electric fields might be especially effective. It is known that there are some electromagnetic effects correlated with bone breakage and healing. This sort of "energy medicine" is becoming more mainstream; see, e.g., the web page for the conference ElectroMed2001 . Further, ultrasound and infrared modalities might help.

Critical to any such effort is the coordination of individuals from radically different backgrounds. Moreover, machine and computer resources need to be able to be utilized transparently. This entails a substantial committment for solution. To date, no research project on the interface has recognized the necessity and none have yet succeeded.

I believe that only a multilayer project can handle this issue. The interface has to be studied simultaneously at several levels. This is related to the theologian, Hout's, remarks about the need for ``a plurality of explanations.'' Thus, in studying the best way to help the PFFD children walk properly, valuable information will be acquired regarding child physiology which can and should be used for other valuable purposed.

The scientists working on this project will be viewing data and writing each other. Rather than having them deal with an AI system, I propose that we utilize the Oz Paradigm. One has a man behind the curtains, more exactly, a whole team, and they produce the illusion of dealing with an intelligent computer for the participants. (That is, the Turing test is being reversed here!) At some future point, a major project milestone, most of the scientist requests will be handled automatically by the system, which will recognize their requirements.

In particular, I am asserting that the treatment of PFFD by modern scientific means requires the solution of the interface problem. Moreover, to solve the interface problem, one really needs a specific case in point and PFFD is an ideal example.

Success can never be guaranteed in advance in research. However, even if it does not turn out to be possible to build the desired intelligent prosthesis (and I believe that it will be possible), there will be substantial gain in knowledge regarding human physiology, the etiology and treatment of PFFD, prosthetics technology, computer software and visualization techniques.

This interdisciplinary project would break new ground in cooperation between the biomedical and computational sciences. The fusion of these sciences has been listed by the National Institutes of Health as a major goal.

The proposed project is especially suitable for Georgetown University. Not only does it provide a perfect opportunity for collaboration among doctors, scientists, engineers and mathematicians, but it allows us to provide a new direction for American foreign policy. PFFD strikes relatively few children as a percentage of the population, but around the world ten out of a million amounts to thousands of newborn babies each year with this terrible blight. If we can use the development of medical devices as a new way to express ``Yankee ingenuity'' in a way that improves the health and happiness of children, then we will be making a contribution to the International Community that will be appreciated.

I believe that a project of this scale would attract the very best and brightest students to Georgetown (or wherever it might be implemented) and give them a chance to make a very positive contribution. For further information on PFFD, you can visit the PFFD Virtual Support Group Page .