A Bionic Hand Fit for the Last Jedi

Researchers from Georgia Tech are giving high fives in a whole new way this week ahead of the release of one of the world’s leading prosthetic devices for amputees. The new technology aims to provide amputees with full hand dexterity and movement, even down to each individual finger. The innovative bionic hand was designed to provide amputees with a new found sense of precision using an ultrasonic sensor that can produce fine motor hand gestures that were previously unattainable through any prosthetic currently on the market. The news just so happens to drop the same week as the latest Star Wars film opens in theaters across the country, where viewers will see the original bionic hand that inspired the technology worn by Luke Skywalker. The first amputee to use the new bionic hand was even able to play piano for the first time since losing part of his arm in an accident five years ago.  The new bionic hand works to detect which fingers the amputee wants to move without the need for any switches or buttons. Other advanced prosthetic devices currently on the market use electromyogram (EMG) sensors that attach to the muscles, and then use different muscle contractions to clamp certain fingers together. While EMG sensors have been useful for amputees in the past, they lack any acute sense of dexterity or accuracy, making the device difficult to operate and prone to errors. So the team from Georgia Tech decided to turn to ultrasound to see how they could improve on current pro...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Orthopedics Source Type: news