Smart Hands

There is an invention available that caters specifically to those with amputated hands, called the Smart Hand. This prosthetic hand incorporates four motors and forty sensors, but unlike previous prosthetic hands which merely allowed the wearer to control movement of the hand, the Smart Hand sends feelings back, allowing the wearer to feel what he touches. It also eliminates “phantom limb syndrome” from those who wear it. In the past, amputees would suffer from this syndrome, which gave the sensation that their lost body part still remained. This occurred because the brain was still able to receive input from, and also send neurons to the site of amputation. The Smart Hand makes use of those pathways still being open, connecting electronic sensors to nerves in the arm. This is an incredible and important improvement, because now these artificial hands are becoming more and more similar to the real thing. Although it is incredibly sophisticated, the Smart Hand still does not integrate as much freedom or provide quite as much feeling as a natural hand gives. It took ten years to develop the Smart Hand, but advancements to it should come much faster, since the foundation is finished. Over time, the ability to feel should spread to prosthetics of the entire body. The improvements that have been made over the past ten years show that there are many possibilities in prosthetics, and the future may provide us with prosthetics which exceed human limitations.

Amanda Rose

http://singularityhub.com/2009/10/21/prosthetic-smart-hand-lets-amputee-feel-and-move-objects/