New Bionic Hand Good Enough for Typing
Unfortunately, there's a shocking number of Iraqi war veterans returning home every day as amputees, due to shrapnel from improvised explosive devices and other battlefront dangers. Those veterans are becoming a tragic statistic, but they're also driving advances in prosthetic technology.
Covered briefly by Engadget last summer, latest innovation is a new prosthetic hand from a company called Touch Bionics. It not only has five independently movable fingers, but also has controls so precise that wearers can use a keyboard or pick up fragile things.
The hand, called the i-LIMB, relies on muscle movements on the wearer's forearm to control the individual fingers. It also applies pressure back to the user's skin to let them know how much force is being applied to whatever object is being picked up. So, while wearers can't exactly "feel" what they're grasping or interacting with, they at least can control their prosthetic hands as if they could.
The hands are not prototypes and can be purchased now -- assuming you can afford the $17,500 price tag. Between this new hand, a competing bionic hand created by German researchers, and the bionic eye implant from earlier this week, it's clear to see that technology is giving those with disabilities, either due to genetics or war, new reasons for hope. [Source]: LiveScience]
