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Super-precise artificial hand uses smart wires as muscles
As a rule, bionic hands are clunky contraptions made of motors, pneumatics and other machinery that just can't be as elegant as the real thing. Germany's Saarland University might just change that, however. Its researchers have developed an artificial hand that uses smart nitinol (nickel titanium) wires as its muscles. All you do to make them flex is heat them up or cool them down -- the metal 'remembers' its original shape before you bend it, so you don't need bulky equipment to move it back and forth. The wire bundles are as thin as cotton, but they're very strong and can move with much more precision and speed than usual. They don't even need sensors, since electrical resistance in the wires themselves is enough.
Swiss bionic hand offers true sensations through the nervous system
Those wearing bionic hands and similar prostheses often suffer a frustrating disconnect when they can touch an object but can't feel it, even if they're using direct neural control. The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and allies in Project TIME have developed a hand that could clear that psychological hurdle. The design implants electrodes directly in key nerves that not only allow motor input, but deliver real sensory feedback from the artificial appendage -- including needle pokes, much to the test subject's chagrin. An early trial (seen above) kept the enhanced hand separate from the wearer and was limited to two sensations at once, but an upcoming trial will graft the hand on to a tester's arm for a month, with sensations coming from across much of the simulated hand. EPFL hopes to have a fully workable unit ready to test in two years' time, which likely can't come soon enough for amputees wanting more authentic physical contact.
Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird
The only upgrades available for our puny human hands are gaming controller calluses, but if you're sporting an i-LIMB digits hand prosthesis, you can now grab a set of improved fingers. Touch Bionics' "smaller, lighter and more anatomically accurate" appendages are now available worldwide, as well as a new wrist-band unit which houses all the necessary computing power and juice for their function. Best of all, these developments allow more people to adopt the tech than the previous generation, including those with more petite hands or finger amputations closer to the knuckle. We don't know how much it'll cost for a fresh set, but we'll let health agencies and insurance companies deal with that part. With these upgrades and RSL Steeper's latest offering, it won't be long before our flesh-based variants are meager in comparison.
Virtu-LIMB lets prospective patients take upgraded Touch Bionics hand for a spin
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.
ITK's Handroid: a softer, gentler robotic hand (video)
Most robotic hands are built with a series of individual motors in each joint, making them heavy, expensive and prone to gripping everything with the subtlety of a vice. Japan's ITK thinks it's solved those problems with Handroid -- designed with cords that mimic the muscles in our meat-paws. No motors mean it's far lighter than the standard Terminator design, and it's controlled with a glove that allows it to mirror the operator's movement as it happens. ITK wants to sell Handroid for the bargain price of $6,500 by 2013 for use in environments too dangerous for humans, but because it's so light and cheap it could also see use as a medical prosthesis. You can see how the device works in the video after the break.
BBC shows us what it's like to live with a bionic hand
We've posted a fair share on bionic limbs and their advancements over the years, but rarely have we had the chance to see a video of one in real world use, on a real person. The BBC has shared a video of a man named Patrick using his bionic arm, which -- long story short -- was partially the result of being electrocuted at work. This is his second one to date and specifically, it's a prototype Otto Bock mind-controlled prosthetic arm equipped with six nerve sensors that let him use the hand as if it were his own -- it supports pinching and gripping with the fingers as well as lateral and circular movement of the wrist. Although the footage is a mundane roll of various day to day tasks -- gripping a bottle to pour a glass of water for instance -- it's quite amazing to realize technology is helping him do things he'd otherwise be deprived of. We'd suggest checking it out at the BBC by clicking the source link below.
Touch Bionics i-LIMB Pulse, the Bluetooth bionic hand, makes your meaty one obsolete
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-92450%
BeBionic teases advanced bionic hand, Terminator 5 now has a prop supplier (video)
It won't officially launch until May, but we're already guessing that the folks over at DaVinci are casting quizzical glances towards BeBionic. The UK-based outfit is teasing what it calls the "next generation of fully articulated myo-electric hands," which are said to provide "a range of naturally compliant grip patterns that provide repeatable accuracy" to those who have lost their own hand(s). Better still, the functions (speed, grip force, grip patterns, etc.) can be customized to suit each individual user, and the integrated wireless chip means that said tweaking can take place sans any troubling USB cables. The company's also planning to reveal the planet's first powered wrist with rotation capabilities as well as flexion / extension, and the range just wouldn't be complete without silicone skin available in 19 tones. Hop on past the break for a couple of promo videos -- we get the feeling the world of prosthetics is about to take a huge leap forward.
Bionic hand touts can-crushing abilities
Joining the arm, eye, ear, and dolphin (saywha?), the latest bionic creation to come from the doors of the Tokyo Institute of Technology boasts some 33-pounds of crushing power, which could make the Power Glove look a bit weak in comparison. Touted as the "world's first electromechanical prosthetic hand with a grip strong enough to crush an empty beverage can," the creation reportedly weighs a hair over 300-grams and features about half the strength found in the average male hand, but it can extend and flex its fingers in around one second, making sure that the wearer is still a formidible opponent in thumb wars. Unlike similar iterations, however, this rendition utilizes a system of pulleyed cables that run through the fingers, and if all goes as planned, eventual wearers will be able to control the machine by flexing other muscles via "myoelectric control technology." Click on through for a video demonstration.[Via Pink Tentacle]
