Kerry and I have been on vacation for the last 2 weeks, we spent the last week in Fiji participating in the  Tony Robbins Life Mastery course and this week with our friend, Julian, in New Zealand.

We had a great time at Life Mastery, it’s one of Tony’s full immersion courses focused on health and well-being, and what better place to be than Fiji. It was our first time in Fiji and it’s a beautiful place, particularly where we stayed at the Namale resort (owned by Tony Robbins). Life mastery is part cleanse, part education and part relaxation, as you go through a process of  stopping the poisoning of the body,  cleansing and detoxifying and then rebuilding. It’s an incredible experience that teaches you the tools and techniques that you can practically apply in real life to improve your state of health and mind.

As is typical for Tony’s events the day we arrived we faced a physical challenge, in this case climbing a 50ft telephone pole and jumping to a trapeze 8-10ft away…all without ropes (only kidding we had safety harnesses on).  Prior to my accident this really wouldn’t have been a big deal, but only having one hand added a new twist to the whole thing.

Kerry ended up going first and showed incredible determination as she got to the top but couldn’t quite stand up. She must have hung on for 5+ minutes before she finally managed to push up and stand on the top. When she came down she told me how hard it was and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it…I knew I’d do it or if nothing else give it a damn good try.

As it worked out I ended up being the last one to climb, no additional pressure – since everyone else by that point had managed to at least nearly stand on top. I approached the pole calmly and knew that it was all in the legs (as with most climbing). I just had to find a way to hang on to the pole as I moved my feet to the next peg…hugging the pole with my left arm worked out pretty good…and I just keep stepping up one peg at a time.

Once at the top I had to jiggle around a bit to get in a position where I could stand and then from there I was on top of the world (oops, sorry I mean the pole). All that was left then was to jump for the trapeze. I figured it would be pretty unlikely I’d be able to hold on to the bar with just one hand, but I gave it a go anyway.

I reached the bar with my right hand but couldn’t hold on…but that really didn’t matter, as I’d conquered the pole. There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it!

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.

I had an epiphany the other day, I was all excited because I had contacted a company called Touch Bionics (based out of Scotland) about their i-Limb hand (see picture). I’ve been following them since I came across their website last year, just salivating to get a look at the myoelectric hand they’ve been developing.

Anyhow, thought I’d drop them an email to introduce myself and low-and-behold they kindly replied asking to learn a little more about my situation.

And then it occurred to me…I currently use a body powered hook day-to-day, most often than not I don’t even use my harness, so it’s just a passive device I use for driving and pushing things around. It’s functional, sure better than nothing and I’ve seen others who have become pretty adept with one…but it ain’t no hand.

And there came the realization, why should I accept this, why should any upper limb amputee accept this as the status quo. Even myoelectric hands that work off muscle impulses are typically no more than an electrically controlled hook (open/close), maybe with added wrist rotation.

I want more, much more, I’m raising my standards. I can sit here and wait for advances to occur, wait for it to filter into mainstream, hope one day I get a replacement hand, or, I can go out there and be part of the process. I’ve decided my mission in life (after Kaboodle of course) is to pursue the most advanced prosthetics there are, to search out the best people and work with them, help push development to the next step. I want to be an evangelist, to let others know what is feasible…but, most of all I want a new hand, no compromises, no excuses! I’ll make do with what I’ve got for now, I’m not complaining, but I’m not willing to accept this is as good as it gets.

I’m looking forward to further discussions with Touch Bionics, they seem the closest to bringing the next generation of artificial hand to market so far. I’ll keep you posted.