Partial-Hand Amputees Get Better Bionic Fingers
It seems like every few weeks someone claims to have built the newest and most revolutionary prosthetic hand, and while breakthroughs on that front are amazing, what about all the partial-hand amputees, those that have only lost a finger or two, or perhaps a thumb? UK firm Touch Bionics has introduced a system geared directly toward those that, though missing a digit or four, still have working muscle and tendon in their hands. These bionic fingers let their wearers--a 1.2-million-strong group that, until now, has been largely ignored--regain the ability to type, use a fork and knife and more. Touch Bionics' ProDigits system can be customized regardless of a particular hand’s shape or which digits are missing, allowing clinicians to mimic the missing anatomy. Each digit can bend, touch, and point individually, and can take command from either a myoelectric sensor that registers muscle signals from residual nerves and muscle in...