The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Custom Fit Bionic Fingers Work Like The Real Thing (Video)

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by Aaron Saenz on December 16th, 2009
Touch Bionics is moving forward with its prosthetic fingers. They have much of the same capability as the i-Limb, but customized to each amputee's unique physiology.

Touch Bionics is moving forward with its prosthetic fingers. They have much of the same capability as the i-Limb, but customized to each amputee's unique physiology.

In the world of prosthetics, there’s really no such thing as “one size fits all.” Back when we discussed the i-Limb from Touch Bionics, we mentioned that the Scottish company’s next big development would be bionic fingers. Well they’ve arrived. Pro-Digits are powered mechanical fingers which can be controlled by measuring electric signals from nerves using pads on the skin. Touch Bionics has fitted more than thirty patients with Pro-Digits devices, each uniquely built to correspond to differing levels of amputation. As with the i-Limb, the bionic fingers can detect objects as they close to prevent crushing something delicate and can be installed in different grips to help with tasks such as typing. Check out the Pro-Digits in action in the video below.

There’s been a ton of really exciting news about prosthetics this year. Besides i-Limb, we’ve seen artificial hands and arms from Deka, DARPA’s Prosthetics Revolution Program, and Smart Hand. Artificial intelligence in lower limb prostheses is also advancing at a wonderful pace. While each device has its own merits, Touch Bionics has geared i-Limb and Pro-Digits to be market ready and user friendly as soon as possible. There are already more than 600 users of i-Limb and it looks like Touch Bionics is trying to get Pro-Digits to enjoy the same popularity.

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Deka’s Luke Arm In Clinical Trials, Is it the Future of Prosthetics? (Video)

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by Aaron Saenz on December 1st, 2009
Deka's Luke Arm is in clinical trials. Will it find favor with amputees?

Deka's Luke Arm is in clinical trials. Will it find favor with amputees?

The future of prosthetics isn’t certain, and we’ve seen so many different next generation devices, it’s hard to know which will ultimately arise as the standard. For legs, there are spring like mechanical struts that can outperform their biological counterparts, and there are complex electronic knees and feet that contain narrow artificial intelligence. Prosthetic hands, however, haven’t evolved much in the past 60 years. But that’s about to change. We’ve seen many different robotic hands in development, and one of the most popular in the press has been Deka’s Luke Arm. Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway scooter and head of Deka, helped design the electronic arm to fit the needs and desires of modern amputees. The Luke Arm went into clinical trials this summer and could become the prosthetic limb of choice for US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, despite the Luke Arm’s media presence (check out the 60 Minutes segment video after the break), I’m not certain it’s going to beat the competition.

For those who missed our first story on Deka’s Luke Arm, I should explain that it is controlled by pads under the feet and attached to shoulders muscles. Like a complex video game, users press on these pads to get the limb to perform desired actions. This is a robust system that allows for a precise level of control. It also takes a while to get used to. Competing prostheses, like i-Limb, use myoelectric sensors that can read nerve signals in muscles. Essentially, you think about moving your missing hand, and the prosthetic performs the action. The two approaches, joystick versus mind-control, seem grossly mismatched in the favor of the myoelectric sensors. How is the Deka arm staying competitive?

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i-LIMB Revolutionizes the Commercial Prosthetic

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by Drew Halley on March 26th, 2009

ilimb11Think you can spot an amputee?  Think again.  Meet the i-LIMB, the first commercially available prosthetic hand with five individually powered fingers.  Combining a revolutionary functionality with amazingly natural cosmetics, the i-LIMB is changing the lives of amputees across the globe – and blending right in.

Even while Dean Kamen and others we have previously reported on work on advanced robotic prostheses, the i-LIMB shows how keeping it simple can still provide amazing improvements to quality of life for amputees.   The i-LIMB uses electrodes placed on the skin of the remaining portion of the patient’s limb, usually on the top and bottom of the forearm.  When the patient moves the muscles that would normally have extended into their hand, the electrodes pick up on electrical signals generated by the muscle movement.   These signals become the basis for individual finger movement within the i-LIMB.

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Introduced in 2007 by Scottish company Touch Bionics, the i-LIMB is capable of a variety of unique grip positions that allow the user to balance power and precision as needed.  By extending the index finger alone, patients can type on a keyboard or push buttons.  The user can also grip a key or dinner plate by rotating the thumb to meet the side of the index finger.  The prosthetic is capable of stopping when a sufficient grip is achieved, allowing the patient to grip sensitive objects (e.g. a styrofoam cup) without crushing them.  These more fine-tuned features give the i-LIMB a functionality that enhances the patient’s everyday life.

Patients can choose between a number of cosmetic gloves, including amazingly lifelike skins that blend in naturally with the rest of the body.  The i-LIMB also has a modular construction that allows each finger to be detached by removing one screw.  This way, a digit needing service can be quickly swapped out for a new one, rather than leaving the patient without their prosthetic while it’s being serviced.   The i-LIMB currently costs about $18,000, and is being used by over 600 patients.  More information can be found at the Touch Bionics website.

Check out the i-LIMB in action, as reported by Voice of America:

So what’s next for Touch Bionics?  “We are shortly to release our lower profile i-LIMB Hand which is more appropriate for female and smaller male users,” says Phil Newman, Director of Marketing.  The company is also developing a product for patients missing individual fingers.  “Our next big focus is ProDigits – replacement fingers.  This is a technology for a much larger patient population which has never had a powered finger option before.  We are very excited about this and have a significant number of trial fittings in play.”

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