touch bionics
Latest
iPod touch stolen, used by war vet for prosthetic hand control
The opinion people have about thieves in general is pretty low, but a thief who broke into the truck of 27-year-old Afghanistan war vet Staff Sgt. Ben Eberle deserves loathing of a special kind. The thief took an iPod touch especially configured with an app called i-limb, used to control a prosthetic hand like the one seen above that was worn by Eberle. Eberle lost both legs and his right hand in a bomb blast three years ago, and has been using the prosthetic with the help of i-limb and the iPod touch. Using the pinky on the prosthetic hand to manipulate the app, Eberle can adjust the hand in an amazing number of ways. The hand and the app -- and the iPod touch -- all work together as a unit. While the iPod touch is only worth about US$240, San Antonio, TX police say that the thief could be charged with felony theft between $20,000 and $100,000. That's because the prosthetic hand is essentially worthless without the iPod touch and will have to be replaced at a cost of about $75,000. The iPod touch has a special logo on the back of it from the manufacturer, Touch Bionics. San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest of the thief, so if a reader happens to see the unique iPod touch, they can call 210-224-7867 with a tip and possibly help a vet recover some of his dexterity.
iPhone app used to control Touch Bionics prosthetic hand
In 2008, Jason Koger had both of his hands amputated after accidentally coming into contact with a downed power line on his grandfather's farm. Since the accident, Koger has been using a variety of prosthetic arms to cope with everyday life. However, the prosthetics Koger has been using have been limited. In an interview with CNN, Koger said, "It's like I'm carrying a toolbox, but only have one tool. You can't use a wrench for everything." Now Koger has had the opportunity to be the world's first double-amputee to use some remarkable technology: the i-limb ultra revolution. Designed by Touch Bionics in the UK, the i-limb offers the most advanced and versatile prosthesis available, with a powered rotating thumb. It also includes biosim, an iPhone app that gives Koger instant access to 24 Quick Grip patterns. The biosim app lets Koger choose from a selection of automated grips and gestures which aid in daily tasks, like index point for typing on a keyboard or a touch screen, precision pinch mode for gripping small objects, and a natural hand position. The app also lets Koger personally customize his own grips and gestures. Using the Touch Bionics prosthetics and app, Koger said, "Nothing is perfect, but I feel like I can be a more active participant in everyday life with these hands. I can do pretty much everything I could before; it just might take me a little longer." Read the full interview and watch a video of the prosthetics and app in action at CNN Health. [Via Gizmodo]
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.
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%
Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones
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.
Fluidhand emerges, i-LIMB hides in shame
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.
Touch Bionics has i-LIMB bionic arm to go with your bionic hand
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?
Touch Bionics i-LIMB bionic hand
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-4959%
