The use of prosthetics has been around for thousands of years, dating as far back as the early Egyptians. The number of individuals who require a prosthetic for the lower limbs is far greater than those who require a prostheses to replace either fingers or an entire arm and hand. Because of the difference in numbers required, as well as the functionality of the hand versus the foot, the development of functional hand prostheses has lagged behind those for the lower limbs.
The need for prosthetics continues to grow with over 50,000 amputations every year in the United States alone. With recent technological advances and a greater interest there is more hope for functional prosthetics that can control every day living skills. The evolution of prosthetic use in the hand began with wooden hands forms only to give the individual a normal appearance which had no functionality.
Today manufacturers are able to produce high tech silicone hand prosthetics that are able to reproduce the complex workings of a healthy hand and future research is being done to advance the prosthetic to be controlled by the mind.
The hand is very versatile and can not only be used to grasp everyday objects but also to perform delicate maneuvers such as those done by a brain surgeon. Although they are really nonessential sustaining life they are one of the more important aspects that allow you to enjoy your life.
Some of the current hand prosthetics use hydraulic systems which give the fingers more power and enable them to work more naturally with greater flexibility than those hands which use motorized fingers. The hydraulic hand was developed by a team of researchers in Germany and has flexible drives in each of the finger joints in order to allow the amputee to move the each finger independently. The prosthetic actually uses five different strengths of grip and researchers say that it is so intuitive that learning to devise takes only about 15 minutes.
This particular prosthetic is called the i-Limb and mimics 34 muscles that move in the human fingers. Electrical signals generated by a muscles in the affected limb control the prosthetic hand. This new technology in hand prostheses has given a new lease on life to individuals who have lost their hand related to cancer, trauma or who have returned from the battlefield having suffered the loss of the hand.
When the limb became available in originally cost a little over $17,000 and was only being used by a small number of people. However, today it is become available in the United States and its manufacturer hopes to be able to reduce the price as sales increase.
Users of this particular hydraulic hands say that it can hold a credit card, use a keyboard with the index finger and lift a bag weighing up to 20 kg. This particular hand prostheses has changed the way in which individuals who lose their hands can ultimately function.