Subscribe to Gizmag's RSS feed
Follow Gizmag on Twitter
Prosthesis
Touch Bionics launches world’s first bionic finger
By Darren Quick
22:38 December 8, 2009 PST
The fact that the hand is such a debilitating body part to lose has spurred researchers to develop a functional and aesthetically pleasing bionic replacement. While seemingly not as severe as the loss of an entire hand, the loss of fingers can be just as much of a hindrance and represents the largest group of arm amputees. Short of removing the remaining partial hand, there has been no bionic option available to replace missing fingers. Now, the same company responsible for the i-LIMB Hand has addressed this deficit with the launch of ProDigits, the world’s first powered-bionic finger. Read More
Cyclops - the visually-impaired robot
By Jeff Salton
19:32 October 22, 2009 PDT
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a remote-controlled robot to help test the effectiveness of visual prostheses, such as an artificial retina, which are implanted into visually-impaired patients. Cyclops the robot - or, rather, the mobile robotic platform, or rover - lets scientists “see” the results that human patients could expect without having to test the device on them first. It is hoped that this approach may spare them some unnecessary procedures and one day lead to giving blind people the freedom of independence. Read More
Bioengineered scaffold could restore sense of touch to prosthetic limbs
By Darren Quick
00:15 October 15, 2009 PDT
Existing robotic prostheses have limited motor control, provide no sensory feedback and can be uncomfortable to wear. In an effort to make a prosthesis that moves like a normal hand, researchers at the University of Michigan have bioengineered a scaffold that is placed over severed nerve endings like a sleeve and could improve the function of prosthetic hands and possibly restore the sense of touch for injured patients. Read More
Ossur rolls-out next generation POWER KNEE
By David Greig
01:19 April 24, 2009 PDT
Earlier this week we looked at developments in low-cost prosthetics, but at the other end of the spectrum, advanced prosthetic devices like Ossur's recently announced second generation POWER KNEE are opening up new frontiers in the field. As the world’s first motor-powered artificially intelligent prosthesis for above the knee amputees, the POWER KNEE is designed to enable daily activities without having to think about movement. Something most of us take for granted. Read More
dariusvons
- February 10, 2010 @ 00:56 UTC
