Scottish scientists have created the world’s first powered bionic fingers for partial-hand amputees.
Called ProDigits, the prosthesis has a silicone skin and movable thumb that allows amputees the functionality to grasp, place and manipulate objects.
The manufacturer, Scotland-based Touch Bionics, is known for its i-Limb Hand, a full-hand prosthetic with five individually powered digits that was launched in 2006. ProDigits fills the gap for amputees who are missing a few, but not all, fingers.
The sockets for the prosthesis are custom-designed by clinicians to fit the individual.
“Vocational and social reengagement is very important to a patient’s rehabilitation after a traumatic event,” Touch Bionics CEO Stuart Mead said in prepared remarks. “Partial-hand injuries are, by their nature, challenging aesthetically and functionally….our goal is to provide all that we can to reinstate a patient’s function and interaction with other people in their chosen lifestyle and career.”
ProDigits can be powered in two ways: using myoelectric sensors that register muscle signals from the patient’s remaining finger or palm, or with a pressure-sensitive switch input (”touch pad,” effectively) that responds to the tissue around the metacarpal bone to provide enough pressure to activate the digit.
To accommodate for grip — after all, no one wants a crushing handshake — a stall feature detects when digits close around an object.
Touch Bionics says it is developing a clinical collaborator program in North America to partner with practitioners to fit each patient individually, and will distribute ProDigits to 40 countries worldwide.
And the cost? Between $57,000 and $73,000.
Here’s a video of the device:
