Upgrading the Prosthetic Hand

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One patient is currently wearing the Fluidhand to complete daily tasks, and a second is about to be fitted for the device. Some 250 people, including soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, already use i-LIMB.

Stuart Mead, CEO of Touch Bionics, points out that the comparative study in Heidelberg is not a competitive one. "Many people have many different devices for different activities, and what works for one patient may not work for another," he says.

Comparative studies of this nature do have value for determining how well the device can meet amputees' needs. "They are probably testing each device's strength, power, and versatility," says Herr. "The prosthetics have to be able to pick up something very lightweight and fragile, like a piece of china, as well as something large and heavy."

Soon, people requiring a prosthetic hand with movable digits will have more options. "The German-Austrian company OttoBock will probably present a new hand with movable fingers in 2009," says Schulz.

Experts expect this rapid development in the field of prosthetic technologies to continue into the near future.

"I believe that there is a big push into wearable exoskeletons because the mechatronic technology has matured, becoming more cost effective, miniaturized, and powerful," says Thomas Sugar of Arizona State University, who works in robotic prosthetics. "Batteries and motors are smaller and more powerful. Microprocessors have been very fast and cheap. Lastly, I do think there has been a big push by NIH [National Institutes of Health] and the DOD [Department of Defense] into medical robots for stroke therapy, powered exoskeletons, and powered prosthetics."

The Biomechatronics Group's Herr agrees. "Typically, when you plot prosthetic innovations against time, you see a spike in innovation after every war, and that is certainly true today," he says. "In addition, we're also seeing a number of disciplines such as robotics, mechanical engineering, and biomechatronics mature to the point [where] we can merge to create truly remarkable systems."

There is still room for those remarkable innovations in prosthetic development.

"We find ourselves, as an industry, working to manage people's expectations," says Touch Bionics' Mead. "A prosthetic doesn't function like a real hand. We're still only able to replicate 5 to 10 percent of what a real hand can do."