Sep 29

Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird

Posted in: Today's Chili

Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flip 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.

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Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flips the old ones the bird originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 07

New beBionic hand almost doubles its grip-strength, steered by user’s electrical ‘skin signals’

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New BeBionic hand configures fingers according to user's electrical 'skin signals', grips like a man

RSL Steeper’s beBionic3 still packs the same wireless chip, customizable silicone overlays and speed controls of its predecessor, but is now stronger and more durable. It’s been redesigned with an aluminum chassis and new thumb and can now handle up to 99 pounds of weight, with almost double the grip-strength of its predecessor. The bionic hand traces faint electrical signals across the user’s arm skin, amplifying them to the five digits, which can contort into 14 different grips. The mouse configuration, demonstrated in the video below, lets the user operate both buttons while holding onto the peripheral. The hand will cost between $25,000 and $35,000, depending on both the hardware and software configurations. See how the third-generation bionic limb grabs blocks, ties shoe-laces and wields pens after the break.

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New beBionic hand almost doubles its grip-strength, steered by user’s electrical ‘skin signals’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 10

Nike’s Spike Pad on Ossür’s Flex-Foot Cheetah legs used in the London Olympics

Posted in: Today's Chili

Nike, the famous footwear and apparel manufacturer of all things sporty, has already designed a specialized sole for prosthetic running blades earlier this year. Nike appears to be doing it again, this time in the London Olympics. Nike was able to successfully outfit Ossür’s Flex-Foot Cheetah legs, the J-shaped carbon fiber prostheses that fits the feet and calves, but with track spikes. But Nike said that the process wasn’t a walk in the park. Apparently a design problem has to be solved first. Since Össur’s Flex-Foot Cheetah legs are made from smooth carbon, affixing the track spikes requires a lot of brute force and strong fixatives.

Thankfully, Nike designer Tobie Hatfield was able to develop a newer, better Cheetah spike called the Nike Spike Pad. “We were certainly able to take the learnings of spikes on shoes for 22 years, but obviously the difference is that we’re affixing it to a more immovable object, the carbon fiber blade,” said Hatfiel. Nike’s specialized Cheetah spike was worn by the South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius, a.k.a. Blade Runner and also considered as the fastest man on no legs. The 25-year-old Pistorius, whose legs were amputated when he was a baby, made it to the semi-finals for the 400m in the London Olympics.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nike reveals GS Football boot, lightest cleat ever, Nike+ FuelBand hack lets you track your Twitter account,

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Aug 08

3D printed ‘Magic Arms’ give a little girl use of her limbs

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3D printed 'Magic Arms' give a little girl use of her limbs

Don’t get us wrong, we adore 3D printers and the whole additive manufacturing movement. But, if all you’re going to get out of the ABS-jets are some companion cubes and a raptor claw, well then, we don’t think there’s much hope for the technology. Thankfully there are people out there (much better people than us, we might add), who have turned to 3D printers to actually improve peoples lives. Take, for example, the tale of two-year-old Emma, born with the congenital disorder arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC). The disease causes a person’s joints to become locked in a single position, in Emma’s case, it was her arms. There are prosthetics that can help, but most are made of metal — including the anchor vest — which would make them too heavy for a 25-pound girl.

Instead of going off the shelf, doctors turned to a 3D printer from Stratasys to create custom molded parts and a lightweight vest for Emma. The result: the two-year-old who once could not lift her arms is now able to play, color and feed herself. Printing the parts also solves another major issue — Emma is growing… quickly. The adorable tot has already outgrown her first vest, but her mother just calls the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and has a new one made. The same goes for replacement parts. Should a hinge or brace break, it need only be a matter of hours (not days or weeks) before a new one is delivered. For more details check out the heartwarming video after the break.

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3D printed ‘Magic Arms’ give a little girl use of her limbs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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