For a young man with a prosthetic hand, the phrase “there’s an app for that” has a whole new meaning.
Jason Koger lost both his hands in an electrocution accident caused by a downed power line on an ATV. He has tried many different prosthetic hands but the latest one comes closest to a real hand.
Touch Bionics has developed a new bionic hand that is in part controlled by a smartphone app.
Unique to these prosthetic hands are individually controlled fingers. With this level of mobility, developers have customized an iPhone or iPod app to use with the hand. The app allows the user to choose a number of different grip patterns that simulate real hand movement. The app is customizable to allow for different grips, such as a handshake or playing pool or doing housework.
There are a great number of possibilities for bionic limbs and treatments for those suffering from spinal cord injuries. Touch Bionics included an auto-grasp feature to the bionic hand, preventing slippage when eating an apple or picking up a drink.
“For the first time in five years I can hold my daughter’s hand,” says Koger. “Nothing is perfect but I feel like I can be a more active participant in everyday life with these hands.”
