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| The Michelangelo Hand--Courtesy of Ottobock |
One of the latest in a series of rapid advances in prosthetics and mobility devices is a more natural prosthetic hand from Ottobock that uses electrical signals originating in the brain to create movement.
The device was recently cleared by the FDA and is available to upper limb amputees who complete a rigorous evaluation. The Michelangelo Hand is a component of the modular Axon-Bus System, which can extend it to the arm. The system, including the hand, was cleared by the FDA via 510(k) in May 2014.
Dubbed the Michelangelo Hand, it's designed to enable the user to grip objects as well as to look and feel more natural. It has myoelectric controls that work via an electrode that is placed on the surface of the residual limb. Motors and microprocessors work within the prosthetic hand to create gripping and rotating movements.
"It's the closest thing to a second hand I've had since I became an amputee thirty years ago," attorney and Michelangelo user Andrew Carter said in a statement.
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| Using the Michelangelo Hand--Courtesy of Ottobock |
The prosthetic hand has four movable fingers, a positionable thumb and 7 hand positions to allow different grips. It's designed to accommodate movements as fine as sorting money, transporting large objects or even performing delicate mechanical tasks. The prosthetic can help facilitate everyday tasks such as hanging clothes, holding a plate, cooking and riding a bicycle.
"The Michelangelo has been a real game-changer with its speed, its thumb settings and its floating wrist and has made for an incredible device that has allowed me to get back to doing what's important to me," Carter added. "It's good to be at the point of experiencing what the most advanced prosthetic hand in the world has to offer, and I hope with my example to be able to provide a little bit of hope and encouragement to those in the early stages of recovery from an amputation."
Ottobock is the Americas corporate headquarters of German company Otto Bock HealthCare; it employs 7,000 people worldwide and offers 50,000 different kinds of prosthetic and orthotic components, mobility and rehabilitation products.
- here is the release