Gripping stuff – first bionic fingers unveiled

Published on Tuesday 8 December 2009 21:44

SCIENTISTS have unveiled what they claim are the world's first bionic fingers which they hope will transform the lives of people with missing digits.

The motor-powered ProDigits have been developed by Touch Bionics, the company which invented the bionic i-Limb hand.

The new invention can help people with up to five missing digits on a hand, whether from birth or because of an injury or medical condition.

Those fitted with the device will be able to bend, touch, pick up and point with the artificial digits.

Developers hope the device will be a boost to the partial hand amputee population, which is estimated at about 52,000 in the EU and 1.2 million worldwide.

Phil Newman, marketing director of Livingston-based Touch Bionics in West Lothian, said: "There has been no solution like this for the partial hand amputee community.

"The ProDigits provide a powered device with a grip and it has returned these people to a level of functionality and independence."

It is estimated that a two-finger amputation leaves an individual with a 20 per cent to 40 per cent hand impairment, depending on which fingers are affected.

The custom-made ProDigits are fitted on to what remains of the hand, and can be controlled by myoelectric sensors which register muscle signals from the residual finger or palm.

Alternatively they can be controlled by a pressure sensitive touch pad, which relies on the remnant digit or tissue surrounding the metacarpal bone to provide the necessary pressure to activate the finger.

A special stall feature allows the device to detect when it has closed around an object so that it does not crush it.

This also allows users to point single digits and configure the hand in various grip patterns.

Patients can choose from a range of coverings, from hi-tech clear and black robotic skins to a more natural looking "livingskin" option.

Phil Newman, of Livingston-based Touch Bionics, demonstrates the new bionic fingers

One of those already fitted with ProDigits is former concert pianist, Maria Antonia Iglesias, from Catalonia, who underwent amputation of all extremities following pneumococcal septic shock of unknown origin in July 2003.

They have enabled her to write, hold cutlery and drink from a glass again, tasks she previously struggled to do.

The 42-year-old said: "I am very pleased to be part of this project and the benefits my new hand is giving me are like a dream.

"Even a simple thing like lifting a glass of water to drink from was impossible before, but with ProDigits I can do it easily."

The ProDigits prosthetics are tailor-made for each patient and cost around 35,000 to 45,000.