Prosthesis

There are already a number of experimental prosthetic hands that provide users with the tactile sensation of touching an object. The MiniTouch system takes things further, as it allows users to sense the temperature of items that they're touching.

Prostheses that replace fingers are typically complex, expensive devices, the cost of which often isn't covered by medical insurance. The student-designed Lunet, on the other hand (no pun intended) is simple and can be made from open-source plans.

Engineers from MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a prosthetic hand that precisely inflates individual fingers to take hold of objects, while also providing the user with tactile feedback.

Although robotic prosthetic legs do have some advantages over their conventional counterparts, they also have some drawbacks that keep them from entering wider use. A new prototype prosthesis, however, addresses some of those shortcomings.

Scientists have added tactile sensors to a prosthetic leg, allowing users to walk with much less effort.

​When most of us walk over uneven ground, our feet respond to the dips and humps by flexing the ankle and moving the toes. Prosthetic feet typically don't do so, often resulting in falls. An experimental new model, however, uses a tripod-like assembly to react more like a real foot.

​Inside everyone's middle ear are three tiny linked bones known as ossicles. When these bones are damaged, a condition called ossicular conductive hearing loss results. A more effective treatment for it may now be on its way, thanks to 3D printing technology.

With the whole body pressing down on the point of contact, prosthetic legs can be painful, awkward and cause infections. Now scientists from ONR have developed a more comfortable “smart” prosthetic that can be attached at will, and monitored for infection and stress with an array of sensors.

​JC Sheitan Tenet is a southpaw tattoo artist, not because he's left-handed but because he lost his right one 22 years ago so has no choice. Until now. A collaboration with visual artist JL Gonzal has resulted in a custom-designed "biomechanical prosthesis" that has a built-in rotary inker.

When we first reported on the robotic hand made by Youbionic back in 2014, we indicated that the device was only a prototype and that the makers were looking for funding to bring it to market. Well, apparently they've gotten the funding, because Youbionic is now taking pre-orders for the device.

Following a 3D-printed heel bone, a 3D-printed mouth guard and the world's first 3D-printed jet engine, the CSIRO's Lab 22 has added to the growing list of 3D-printed medical implants by designing and printing a replacement titanium sternum and rib cage for a 54-year-old cancer patient.

An injured sea turtle has become the unlikely beneficiary of 3D printing technology. After being seriously wounded in an encounter with a boat propellor, the turtle is now on the road to recovery thanks to an imaginative medical team.