Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse, the Bluetooth bionic hand, makes your meaty one obsolete
By Tim Stevens 
posted May 6th 2010 9:32AM
posted May 6th 2010 9:32AM
Touch Bionics unveils the new i-LIMB Pulse
The prosthetic hand that pioneered the bionic industry gets an upgrade
LIVINGSTON, UK – May 5, 2010 – Touch Bionics (www.touchbionics.com), developer of advanced upper-limb bionic technologies, today announced the launch of the i-LIMB Pulse, an all-new version of the revolutionary i-LIMB Hand, the world's first commercially available bionic hand. The i-LIMB Pulse is a significant advance for the i-LIMB product line, with a host of enhancements, including pulsing grip strength, software-enabled grip patterns and robust aluminium features for improved strength.
To be previewed at next week's ISPO World Congress and ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK tradeshow in Leipzig, Germany, the i-LIMB Pulse joins a family of products that has been fitted to more than 1,200 patients worldwide. The i-LIMB Pulse is offered in addition to the existing i-LIMB Hand, and both products are available to customers depending on the patients' preferences. Its new features have been driven by Touch Bionics' experiences in the marketplace as a pioneer of bionic technology and clinical support.
"Having experienced over three years in the market with the i-LIMB Hand, we have gathered unparalleled insight into the needs and requirements of users of upper extremity prosthetic devices" said Stuart Mead, Touch Bionics' CEO. "This has contributed significantly to the development of the i-LIMB Pulse – for example, we know that the majority of users, whether male or female, prefer a device with natural body lines, so we invested considerable time in miniaturizing components and internal structures to offer two sizes that will accommodate almost all user preferences."
The i-LIMB Pulse is so called because it utilises Touch Bionics' patented pulsing technology to provide increasing and controllable grip strength. When the i-LIMB Pulse closes on an object, the user has the option to use the pulsing feature to apply significant additional grip force, allowing the device to grasp an object more tightly. These high-frequency electronic pulses are very important in everyday activities for users, such as tying shoelaces or doing-up a belt.
With an aluminium chassis, the i-LIMB Pulse's robust design features make it Touch Bionics' toughest prosthetic device yet, capable of carrying a load of up to 90kg.
"The i-LIMB Pulse is a very exciting technology development, particularly for someone like myself, who is looking to get back to a level of duty in the fire service," said Ian Reid, a firefighter from Thurso in Scotland, who lost his right hand in a tragic holiday bus crash in 2003, and the first person to be fitted with an i-LIMB Pulse. "The pulsing effect, increased robustness and range of grip features will hopefully give me the increased level of function I'm looking for."
With a range of automated features that allow various combinations of grip patterns and other digit-postures to be activated by the user, the i-LIMB Pulse offers an unparalleled degree of flexibility to its users. Patterns like index point, precision pinch, lateral key grip and three jaw chuck (tripod) are all now easily activated in a single action by the user.
Key to the i-LIMB Pulse is BioSim, Touch Bionics' new Bluetooth-enabled software that allows prosthetists and, for the first time ever, users (using MyBioSim) to select the features and control strategies that work best for them.
For prosthetists, BioSim is a complete software toolset that allows clinical practitioners to customise the i-LIMB Pulse to the specific needs of the user. It allows real-time assessment of users' myoelectric impulses with the ability to adjust gain and threshold settings, select different control strategies, and enable or disable features and grips, including the pulsing effect.
BioSim also provides statistical analysis and documentation of the device wearer's usage patterns, a feature designed to improve patient outcomes and training.
The i-LIMB Pulse begins shipping on June 1, 2010, and Touch Bionics is currently accepting orders on the product.
About Touch Bionics
Touch Bionics is a leading developer of advanced upper-limb prosthetics. In late 2009, Touch Bionics brought to market ProDigits, the world's first bionic fingers for partial hand amputees. This revolutionary product followed the 2007 launch of the i-LIMB Hand, a first-to-market prosthetic device with five individually powered digits. The acquisition of LIVINGSKIN in 2008 enabled the company to apply its commercial and technical expertise into new cosmesis solutions for multi-articulating hands and digits. Touch Bionics continues to develop leading-edge technologies for the treatment of patients with upper-limb deficiencies. For more information, visit www.touchbionics.com.
The prosthetic hand that pioneered the bionic industry gets an upgrade
LIVINGSTON, UK – May 5, 2010 – Touch Bionics (www.touchbionics.com), developer of advanced upper-limb bionic technologies, today announced the launch of the i-LIMB Pulse, an all-new version of the revolutionary i-LIMB Hand, the world's first commercially available bionic hand. The i-LIMB Pulse is a significant advance for the i-LIMB product line, with a host of enhancements, including pulsing grip strength, software-enabled grip patterns and robust aluminium features for improved strength.
To be previewed at next week's ISPO World Congress and ORTHOPÄDIE + REHA-TECHNIK tradeshow in Leipzig, Germany, the i-LIMB Pulse joins a family of products that has been fitted to more than 1,200 patients worldwide. The i-LIMB Pulse is offered in addition to the existing i-LIMB Hand, and both products are available to customers depending on the patients' preferences. Its new features have been driven by Touch Bionics' experiences in the marketplace as a pioneer of bionic technology and clinical support.
"Having experienced over three years in the market with the i-LIMB Hand, we have gathered unparalleled insight into the needs and requirements of users of upper extremity prosthetic devices" said Stuart Mead, Touch Bionics' CEO. "This has contributed significantly to the development of the i-LIMB Pulse – for example, we know that the majority of users, whether male or female, prefer a device with natural body lines, so we invested considerable time in miniaturizing components and internal structures to offer two sizes that will accommodate almost all user preferences."
The i-LIMB Pulse is so called because it utilises Touch Bionics' patented pulsing technology to provide increasing and controllable grip strength. When the i-LIMB Pulse closes on an object, the user has the option to use the pulsing feature to apply significant additional grip force, allowing the device to grasp an object more tightly. These high-frequency electronic pulses are very important in everyday activities for users, such as tying shoelaces or doing-up a belt.
With an aluminium chassis, the i-LIMB Pulse's robust design features make it Touch Bionics' toughest prosthetic device yet, capable of carrying a load of up to 90kg.
"The i-LIMB Pulse is a very exciting technology development, particularly for someone like myself, who is looking to get back to a level of duty in the fire service," said Ian Reid, a firefighter from Thurso in Scotland, who lost his right hand in a tragic holiday bus crash in 2003, and the first person to be fitted with an i-LIMB Pulse. "The pulsing effect, increased robustness and range of grip features will hopefully give me the increased level of function I'm looking for."
With a range of automated features that allow various combinations of grip patterns and other digit-postures to be activated by the user, the i-LIMB Pulse offers an unparalleled degree of flexibility to its users. Patterns like index point, precision pinch, lateral key grip and three jaw chuck (tripod) are all now easily activated in a single action by the user.
Key to the i-LIMB Pulse is BioSim, Touch Bionics' new Bluetooth-enabled software that allows prosthetists and, for the first time ever, users (using MyBioSim) to select the features and control strategies that work best for them.
For prosthetists, BioSim is a complete software toolset that allows clinical practitioners to customise the i-LIMB Pulse to the specific needs of the user. It allows real-time assessment of users' myoelectric impulses with the ability to adjust gain and threshold settings, select different control strategies, and enable or disable features and grips, including the pulsing effect.
BioSim also provides statistical analysis and documentation of the device wearer's usage patterns, a feature designed to improve patient outcomes and training.
The i-LIMB Pulse begins shipping on June 1, 2010, and Touch Bionics is currently accepting orders on the product.
About Touch Bionics
Touch Bionics is a leading developer of advanced upper-limb prosthetics. In late 2009, Touch Bionics brought to market ProDigits, the world's first bionic fingers for partial hand amputees. This revolutionary product followed the 2007 launch of the i-LIMB Hand, a first-to-market prosthetic device with five individually powered digits. The acquisition of LIVINGSKIN in 2008 enabled the company to apply its commercial and technical expertise into new cosmesis solutions for multi-articulating hands and digits. Touch Bionics continues to develop leading-edge technologies for the treatment of patients with upper-limb deficiencies. For more information, visit www.touchbionics.com.
The accusatory, pointing Terminator death-hand image I could do without.
Otherwise, very impressive.
There's something wrong with the logo of that company.
@broli
I had so much fun playing with mine until it crushed every bone in my hand..
Paging Lord Vader. Lord Vader, please report to Robotics.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Engadget is really feeding him some great material today
@Spooka Why is the hand attached to a mag-lite??
@Brokinarrow Yeah that was my question. Nothing says made in the garage quite like mag lite parts.
The i-Limb? Yeah I don't see this name causing too many problems with Uncle Jobs. The way he has been lately he may well go off the deep end and shove it up their i-Ass.
@Darkseider Its not enough to see this kind of comments on Apple's posts, so you must do it here too?
@Atkins I wasn't the only one thinking it. Just the first one to say it out loud, that's all.
@Darkseider
HAHAHAHA, that made me really LOL ;)
besides, since when is i'anything' patented to schmapple???? first they want to patent a fucking touchscreen and now what, they should own everything that starts with an 'i'.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii don't think so :)
steve jobs can suck it.
ps, this robotics hand is very very cool!
@liquidmonkey
Until you realize that Steve Jobs owns a patent on robotic livers, the iLiver. That's right, he's officially a cyborg. Vader's hands are going next.
Why is it attached to a Maglite?
@(Unverified) I was going to ask the same thing.
@(Unverified)
I was wondering the exact same thing!
I just wanna know how much it'll run me to upgrade the LED
@(Unverified) It's not a Maglite! That's the i-Arm! They are going to be unveiling that next week.
@(Unverified) My guess is instead of engineering and manufacturing a housing for the arm portion of the prosthetic, they just did a shortcut and used the housing off a Maglite which in their defense is pretty strong.
@(Unverified) Probably a mockup. Or did you not wonder why there are no pictures of all the other equipment behind the hand that makes it actually lift a finger?
@(Unverified) Looks like a PR mockup to me. They just stuck it into a maglite housing because it fits and that way, nobody will ask for pictures of all the other equipment behind the hand that powers it.
Ah I love the engadget comment-black-hole. Sometimes it coughs strangely similar comments up again after eating them...
@(Unverified) I just did a report on these devices for my Engineering class at UMD. The maglite is just temporary in place of a real prosthetic arm. The real prosthetic arm has a socket about that size for the hand.
I still can't believe we live in an age where things like this are possible.
i'd love for one of these to have a built in phone with the speaker in the thumb and the mic in the pinky
@mrqs WIN! though a called ID display would make it better...
irresponsible companies like this one that give children the excuse to act recklessly when defusing bombs
@101michael
what?!??!
how is this irresponsible?
if anything its awesome, allowing those people who have gone through a horrendous accident to use 'hands' again.
@liquidmonkey
liquidmonkey, meet sarcasm.....sarcasm, liquidmonkey. I'll leave you two alone now, I see you have a lot of catching up to do
@liquidmonkey
I cannot believe someone would actually think I was being serious
@101michael
oh and yes because children are always defusing bombs nowadays
@101michael
what?!??!
children barely ever diffuse bombs!
how can you say all of these untrue things.
"a new product that will have you overthrowing empires again in no time." One celebrity impostor commenter won't be too happy to see himself quoted. Other than that, 200lbs? Why?
@Damaga I know, right? It would be much more useful if it could lift 1000 pounds. ;-)
The real answer to your question is, "Why not?" The stronger the better. It would suck to be crippled, but if I could gain extraordinarily powerful bionic capabilities, well, it would definitely suck a lot less.
Not so cool when its holding the iGun
@GenericMessage
You mean the i-Phased Plasma Rifle in a 40 Watt Range
So... the control link isn't actually bluetooth then, right?
Just has a bluetooth interface to change settings.
If that's the case, then that is pretty nifty.
Is having a missing hand a criteria for buying one of these or could I just it attach to my scrotum? Suprise my girlfriend and that.
@jamo23
Well if you could achieve that, you'd be eliminating most of her key job functions anyway, yesno? Or was that the "surprise" you were referring to...?
@sirphunkee
Oh.... you beat me to it.
hahahahaha..... you see what I did there?
Totally underwhelmed unless I can nearly crush somebody's hand while smiling at them in a meeting. "Oh... Oh, sorry Tom, I didn't know I was doing that.... oh you know, my prosthesis and all..."
"...also offered in two sizes..."
Thx! For a while I was worried one hand would be too small.
"...comes complete with Bluetooth that allows prosthetists and users to tweak settings easily."
Imagine getting pimp-slapped by your own hand
"The device's name comes from its "pulsing technology""
@jamo23: an even better way to surprise your girl.
This very thing is in one of my national Scottish newspapers today. A fellow from Thurso at the top of the country had his arm crushed in an accident years ago. Half of it was amputated and he has recently become the first person in the world to have this fitted at a cost of £50,000. He plans on having it "skinned" to make it look more natural...though I don't see why he would! (though maybe that's because the geek in me would be happy to show off my bionic arm)
@Contermacious Its also made by a scottish company
Obligatory Bender quote:
"Hello meatbags.."
I was wondering, can you masterbate using this thing? i mean just imagine if the grip is super strong, that can be bad for your john handcock.
@das boot
Well, YOU might not be able to....*ahem*
I'll just wait for Darth Vader to chime in on this one.
"I call it, The Stranger"
Wish I had photo shop skills. I would make a clone of Michelangelo's hand of God to Adam painting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hands_of_God_and_Adam.jpg
And substitute it with this hand (the Adam of our future self) and the PSR B1509-58 "God Hand" Pulsar:
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/b1509/
I.e. The GOD HAND reaching into the multi-verse from beyond the Primordial Void, bringing sentience to our future cyborg self!
PS Do I have a flick in me or what? Yea, I have a story to tell (been writing it for some time). Avatar? PIFF. Hollywood, holla!
My son is 10 and weres a prostetic arm which he finds useless , I showed him this i-limb pulse and he thought it was a great idea and would try one himself . About time with all the technicology out now that you've made something useful for people with limbs missing. Would be very interested when they come out properly , well done.