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Surprising Science

Bionic Finger

A British company has developed the world’s first bionic fingers for use by patients with missing fingers – and a former concert pianist is among the first to test them out!
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“British company Touch Bionics has created the world’s first powered bionic fingers that can be used by patients with missing fingers. ProDigits, as the device is called, can help its users bend, touch, pick up and point — reflecting almost all the key functions of a natural hand. The prosthetic fingers are for those who have a partial hand, where the absence of fingers is due either to congenital anomalies or to amputation, says Touch Bionics. Maria Iglesias, a former concert pianist from Spain, is among the first patients to get the custom-made mechanical fingers. The bionic fingers cost between $57,000 and $73,000. Touch Bionics already has a prosthetic arm called i-LIMB that has become a part of more than 3,000 patients.”

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We are entering a new generation of prostheses. In years to come bionic limbs will become a reality. Soon the paralyzed and amputees will have limbs that they can use as if they were their real arms and legs. Learn more about this development and the technology behind it.

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