Updated 4/16/09

As many of my readers are aware, I have a personal interest in patients suffering from traumatic amputation.  I have had the pleasure of assisting several amputees in their rehabilitation efforts.  It is gratifying work.

A Twitter link today directed me to post from the Telegraph in the UK regarding a student who was fit for the i-Limb bionic hand/arm.  The post includes a great video.  For anyone who has worked with amputation patients, you will recognize the advances in this limb compared with the myoelectric prosthesis.  The most amazing advance is the single digit rotary motors which allow for single digit movement.

My brother is a prosthetist with Snell Laboratory in Little Rock.  I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with him on several cases.  It has been interesting to see him in a professional role rather than just my little brother.  He was involved in the first Arkansas i-Limb placement which took place last November.  A short news clip was posted to a local station which can be viewed here.

The i-Limb was developed by Touch Bionics and was made after government monies were made available in response to the lost limbs of our service men and women.  It is the worlds first fully articulating bionic hand.  It is controlled by highly intuitive control system that uses the traditional two-input myoelectric signal generated by the muscles in the remaining portion of the limb to open and close the life like fingers.

For an even more life like appearance this i-Limb can be covered with silicone “skin.”  This “skin” is developed in corellation with prosthetists and artists who sculpt the silicone and custom paint the fearture which are unique to each individual patient.  I have had the pleasure of witnessing this process with a hand amputee patient.  My husband is an airbrush artist so it was particularly interesting to me to see artists working in the medical field to provide such psychological healing.  For an up close photo of the artistry take a look at this nasal prosthetic.

Medical miracles never cease to amaze me.

Related articles

• Video: Real, useful bionic arm testimonial (crunchgear.com)
• Surgery improves control of artificial arm, study shows (cbc.ca)
• Brave New World of Bionics (thanks to @MedHunters)