Archives for March 2007

I meet with Stuart and Phil from TouchBionics today, they were over from Scotland for the 33rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists in San Francisco.

It was great to meet them and learn more about the i-Limb myoelectric hand they have been developing, I’ve been following the progress since I found them online last year.

Based on my research these guys are state-of-the art. The hand has fully articulated fingers and thumb and although the control is limited to proportional open and close, as per standard myo devices, the fingers move independently and are therefore able to hold onto unevenly shaped objects. You can change the position of the thumb to change the action from gripping to holding a key between thumb and finger.

I got to have a play with one of their prototype hands attached to a maglite. By changing the pressure I exerted on the open/close buttons the hand responded with likewise speed. I could use it to pick up my glass (bowl-shaped), something I sure can’t do with my current hook.

I’m doubly excited about what the future has in store after meeting Stuart and Phil and can’t wait until I can get my “hand” on one later this year. I haven’t seen anyone else with anything as close to this, outside of university research labs.

I thought it would be fun to do some reviews of products for one-handed people. I’ll be able to share my experiences with my various prosthetic devices, but, I thought I’d start with something fun.

I love freshly ground salt and pepper and after losing my hand found it quite awkward to use a traditional pepper mill, where I had to try to hold the body of the mill and somehow rotate the top…not an easy feat with just one hand (even when I have my hook on). So back last year Kerry (my wife) came across these two from Chef’n. These are the mini version that also have magnets on the back so we can stick them to the refrigerator where they’ll always be handy!

They’re real easy to use with one hand and work great, I get the freshly ground salt and pepper I love with no hassle. Sometimes it’s the simply things that make a big difference.

We bought ours at a local store, but I found them for sale on Amazon, I’ve added them to my One Handed Products Kaboodle list if you want to check them out.