Artificial Limbs

               Imagine loosing a hand or an entire arm after an accident or just being born without one or worse, both . For many years prosthetic devices have helped people with cope with their newly adjusting lives after a loss of a limb. They have done so by using all sorts of artificial devises to compensate for that loss. 

               Now, prosthetic limbs are much more realistic then they ever have been. They no longer only provide basic functionality or just a more pleasing appearance; they are able to mimic the function of a natural limb making it more lifelike and functional in terms of materials, design and adaptability. The best example of this would have to be the i-Limb. David Gow, a Scottish NHS (National Health Service) employee, designed and built the i-Limb for Touch Bionics. Touch Bionics is a provider of world-leading prosthetic technologies. After 20 years it was able to commercially sell the world’s first fully articulated prosthetic hand with independently powered fingers and thumbs in 2007, and was named top 50 innovations of the year in 2008 by Time Magazine.*

How does it work?
               Using myoeletric technology, which is an electric impulse triggered by the contraction of muscle fibers in the body, the i-Limb is able to control the movements of the hand which then utilizes electrical signals in the muscles of a patient’s remaining limb. This allows the hand to grip things just as a regular hand would. 

The i-LIMB Pulse
               In 2010 Touch Bionics announced the launch of the i-LIMB Pulse, an improved version of the i-LIMB Hand. One improvement is the pulsing grip strength, which enables the user to apply more grip force, software-enabled grip patterns and a new aluminum chassis for improved strength.* They even have an app for the i-Phone that allows the user to choose between different grip styles at the press of a button. The people who have received an i-Limb could not be any happier with their life. This is all illustrated in the video clip above.* 

Image courtesy of http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/6/12/1371042915960/Bertolt-Meyer-who-has-an--010.jpg

               Bertolt Meyer was one of the first users of Touch Bionics' i-LIMB Pulse. He was born missing his lower left arm. He has had prosthetic devices fitted on his arm since he was about three months old, but the passive harness and hook devices were nothing compared to the i-Limb Pulse. In 1999, Meyer was fitted with other myoeletric devices. They may have been better than the old harness but the functionality was very basic. In September 2009 He was fitted with the i-Limb hand and was extremely pleased with the design and was astonished that he could clap his hands for the first time in his life. In 2010, Bertolt became one of the first people in the world to be fitted with Touch Bionics' new i-LIMB Pulse product. He goes on to explain that, "The i-LIMB Pulse is an extraordinary product that will vastly increase the life quality of many amputees. It is such an improvement".*

               It is sometimes taken for granted, just how difficult everyday tasks can be with a missing a hand, but thankfully prosthetic devices such as the i-LIMB Pulse is on the market. Artificial devices such as these give people like Bertolt Meyer hope. Hope that maybe one day they can once again, or for the first time, be able to have a functioning useful limb that they can count on when they need it most. 

*i-Limb Hand (2013). Idea connection. Retrieved from http://www.ideaconnection.com

*Stomp, W. (2010, May). i-LIMB Pulse, the Bionic Hand Improved. Retrieved from

http://www.medgadget.com

*Touch Bionics (2013). Bertolt Meyer. Retrieved from http://www.touchbionics.com

*The future of robotics. (2013). the guardian. Retrieved on December 3, 2013 from http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/6/12/1371042915960/Bertolt-Meyer-who-has-an--010.jpg