News
Bird Creates His Own Prosthetic Beak
October 13th 2021
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade… unless you’re Bruce the parrot. Then you make your own prosthetic beak! Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in New Zealand rescued Bruce when he was just a baby. He was already missing his upper beak, something they believe happened when he was caught in a…
Quadruple Amputee Finishes Race With New Prostheses
September 21st 2021
As Gary Miracle crossed the finish line of the Tailgate 2-Miler on Sunday morning, the look of pain on his face was evident. So was the look of determination followed by relief.
Tears streamed down his face as dozens of people cheered, hugged him, took photos and marveled at what he…
Paralympian Receives Adaptable Prosthetic Arm
September 7th 2021
As Scots Paralympic swimmer Toni Shaw takes to the pool in Tokyo next week, as well as her family and friends, one woman in particular will be watching with pride.
The dedicated teenager has been able to fulfil a long held dream of competing for ParalympicsGB thanks in part to…
Liquid Metal Sensors Allow Prosthetic Hands To "Feel"
August 31st 2021
Each fingertip has more than 3,000 touch receptors, which largely respond to pressure. Humans rely heavily on sensation in their fingertips when manipulating an object. The lack of this sensation presents a unique challenge for individuals with upper limb amputations. While there are several high-tech, dexterous prosthetics available today –…
Discovery Could Lead To Advances In Prostheses
August 17th 2021
A tiny, implantable carbon fiber electrode developed at the University of Michigan and demonstrated in rats has the potential to provide a long-term brain-computer interface that can capture the scope and nuance of electrical signals over lengthy periods of time.
It's a step that could one day lead to advances…
Amputees Adjust To Limb Loss
August 3rd 2021
Truck driver John-Guy Foisy was headed to a delivery in Atlanta in September 2019 when another driver cut him off, forcing his truck to flip over. His left arm, dangling out the open driver’s side window, took the brunt of the impact. He was rushed to the local hospital with…
Amputee Detective Adopts Double-Amputee Dog
July 13th 2021
A dog that underwent the partial amputation of both of her back feet in March has found a home with a San Diego police detective who lost his leg in a motorcycle crash in Alpine nearly eight years ago, the San Diego Humane Society announced Tuesday.
Detective James “Chappie” Hunter…
Study: Brain Stimulation Can Improve Prosthesis Control
June 16th 2021
The human sense of touch is critical to being able to perform many activities of daily living. We take our ability to feel how heavy a cup of hot liquid is and make adjustments without thinking about it to prevent liquid from spilling from the cup. For people who use…
Amputee Football Player Back On The Field
May 25th 2021
Derek Loccident snugged on his helmet and snapped up his chinstrap, but before he stepped on the football field, he stopped himself. He needed a little pep talk. “All right, just don’t panic,” he told himself a week ago Saturday as he stood on the Wantland Stadium sideline at the University of…
Better Movement For Amputees With Haptic Prosthetic Hands
May 11th 2021
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Drexel universities say that adding haptics—an artificial sense of touch—to upper limb prostheses reduces the mental effort required to operate the device, bringing us closer to developing prosthetic technology that functions more like healthy limbs.
In what researchers are calling the first study of its…