2 Machines are already doing the jobs of various parts of the human body. There are people who can see, hear, walk. or pick up their children because of artificial eyes, ears, legs. and arms. These are all possible because of developments in the field of bionics. Bionics means the study of how living things are made and how they work. Engineers study bionics to design machines that are similar to living things. For example, in order to design airplanes. engineers have studied birds. The field of bionics also includes building machines to replace parts of the body or to support processes within the body. 3 One example of a bionic device is the pacemaker. A pacemaker can help someone whose heart beats too slowly or not regularly enough. The device goes into the person's chest.