January 30, 2008 Touch Bionics has announced that its i-LIMB - the world’s first commercially available bionic hand - is expected to achieve the milestone of 100 patient fittings by the end of February this year, having already reached more than 70 people worldwide since its July 2007 launch.
In order to service the increasing demand for iLIMB hands, Touch Bionics has also announced its incorporation in the United States as Touch Bionics, Inc.
“With more U.S. clinics offering the i-LIMB Hand, growing numbers of American amputees will have the option of being fitted with the most advanced prosthetic hand on the market. The fact that we’re at the top end of our sales projections shows there is a ready market for our product,” said Touch Bionics CEO Stuart Mead.
In addition to the developments in the U.S., Touch Bionics has also now cemented European partnerships with clinics and distributors in Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Romania and the Benelux region, with more global partners signing up in countries such as South Korea, Argentina and Brazil. The company also recently opened new headquarters and a development and manufacturing facility in the UK.
Patients and prosthetists alike have been impressed by the technology leap represented by the USD$18,000 per unit i-LIMB Hand, the first advanced prosthetic hand to have each individual finger powered by its own motor, facilitating multiple advanced grip patterns akin to that of a human hand.
“This is the first time in my 30 years in the prosthetics business that I felt I was truly delivering an arm to the patient,” said Jake Wood, C.P., F.A.A.O.P, certified prosthetist and co-owner at Orthotics and Prosthetics Associates, Inc. in Milwaukee, WI. “Due to the anthropomorphic, dexterity and functional capabilities of the i-LIMB Hand, it’s in a league of its own, technology-wise. I never thought in my lifetime that I would ever see this technology.”
Visit Touch Bionics for further information.