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Virtu-LIMB lets prospective patients take upgraded Touch Bionics hand for a spin

Sean Buckley — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:23:00 EST

It looks like Touch Bionics is bringing the classic "try before you buy" racket to the world of bionic hands. Say hello to the Virtu-LIMB, a simulation and training setup for myoelectric upper limb prostheses. This little yellow dome tethers to a patient's arm and transmits their myoelectric signals to a nearby computer via Bluetooth -- the data is then used to either control an i-LIMB Ultra prosthetic hand or, failing that, a PC simulation of one. The rig was shown at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly this week, and can be used to help clinicians fine-tune prostheses for their patients, train patients to manipulate their bionic digits, or even demonstrate the Touch Bionics' i-LIMB to a potential user. The i-LIMB Ultra itself is an upgraded replacement for the outfit's i-LIMB Pulse, featuring a new variable digit-by-digit grip mode, increased flexibility, extended battery life (and low battery audio warning), and the ability to create custom gestures. The new unit even returns to a natural resting state after a period of inactivity, keeping the devil out of your idle hands.

Virtu-LIMB lets prospective patients take upgraded Touch Bionics hand for a spin originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse, the Bluetooth bionic hand, makes your meaty one obsolete

Tim Stevens — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:32:00 EST

Let's say you got in a fight with your dad. You said some things, he said some things, and then he cut your hand off. Don't go all emo: Touch Bionics has a new product that will have you overthrowing empires again in no time. A successor to the company's revolutionary i-LIMB Hand, the i-LIMB Pulse is a more streamlined version meant to look more natural, also offered in two sizes, and comes complete with Bluetooth that allows prosthetists and users to tweak settings easily. The device's name comes from its "pulsing technology" that boosts strength, enabling it to handle up to 90kg (about 200lbs), which is a lot more than our crippled carpal tunnels can manage these days. The Pulse starts shipping to would-be chosen ones on June 1 -- just in time for Father's Day.

Gallery: Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse

Continue reading Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse, the Bluetooth bionic hand, makes your meaty one obsolete

Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse, the Bluetooth bionic hand, makes your meaty one obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones

Vlad Savov — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:09:00 EST

Touch Bionics has been at this bionic prosthetics business for a while now, already providing i-Limb solutions to those deprived of the use of their hands or arms. The company's latest innovation is to reduce all that tech down to the level of individual fingers, with its freshly announced ProDigits being able to replace anywhere between one and all of your precious little piggies. Relying on a traditional myoelectric regime -- which reacts to muscle signals from the residual hand -- or pressure from the remnant finger for its input, this invention can even be tweaked by doctors (over Bluetooth) to adjust the finer motor functions on a per patient basis. Costing up to £40,000 ($65,000), these new prosthetics will be custom-built for each person, and there are plans to apply to have them made available through national health insurance -- in countries that are into that sort of thing. Video after the break.

Continue reading Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones

Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fluidhand emerges, i-LIMB hides in shame

Paul Miller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:25:00 EST

After launching its world-beating i-LIMB prosthetic hand last year, Touch Bionics is ~~taking things in a different direction with~~ feeling some competition from the "Fluidhand." The new hand uses miniature hydraulics to flex the fingers, and can better interact with objects -- like grasping things with irregular surfaces -- than the five motor i-LIMB. Fludihand is also designed to have a more natural feel than previous prosthetics, and gives feedback to the stump to let the user sense the strength of the grip. Currently Fluidhand is just in the prototype stage, with one patient so far testing both prosthetics against each other in a battle to the death.

Update: Sorry for the confusion, Fluidhand was built by a some researchers in Karlsruhe, Germany, not by Touch Bionics.

Filed under: Robots, Wearables

Fluidhand emerges, i-LIMB hides in shame originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch Bionics has i-LIMB bionic arm to go with your bionic hand

Christopher Grant — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:52:00 EST

The mad scientists from Touch Bionics are at it again. After delivering their i-LIMB bionic hand last year, they're moving on up the, uh ... body and are announcing their sophomore effort: the i-LIMB bionic arm. Like their bionic hand, the arm is controlled via learned muscle movements picked up by electrodes placed on the user's chest and is covered in a "realistic cosmetic skin." The only real problem with the i-Limb bionic arm isn't so much a problem in our books, as it is an advantage: it's stronger than your old-fashioned human arms. Of course, with that power comes a whole bunch of ethical and safety concerns. Is there an ethical problem with exacting revenge on that arm-breaking arm wrestling arcade game?

Filed under: Robots

Touch Bionics has i-LIMB bionic arm to go with your bionic hand originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch Bionics i-LIMB bionic hand

Joshua Topolsky — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:43:00 EST

Touch Bionics, a UK-based prothesis developer, announced today that its i-LIMB bionic hand has been made available for use in the United States and Europe. The i-LIMB is one the first widely available prosthetic hands with five individually powered digits, affording its user a surprisingly wide range of motion. Additionally, the i-LIMB uses dynamic touch detection which can sense when a finger has sufficient grip on on object and stop powering, useful in situations such as holding someone's hand, where too much power can cause, er, problems. Using electric signals generated by working muscles to control the hand, the device is much like traditional myoelectric prosthetics (the signals are sent from electrodes placed on the skin). Touch Bionics has also developed a "groundbreaking" form of cosmesis, a latex sheath which covers the hand that TB claims gives an incredibly realistic appearance. Check the gallery to see for yourself.

[Thanks, Matt]

Gallery: Touch Bionics i-LIMB bionic hand

Filed under: Robots, Wearables

Touch Bionics i-LIMB bionic hand originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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