The aim of prosthetics is to minimize the impact on the life of a person who has lost a limb. Upper prosthetics like arms interact with the muscles to perform functions like gripping. However, till now there have been limitations to what sort of objects can be gripped with smaller objects slipping through the hand.

Hangar Prosthetics based in Raleigh, North Carolina has developed a device called the “i-Limb” which can “pinch” items and allow more control. Bill Limehouse demonstrates as he makes the iLimb grip a ball and shows how it wraps around an object. The iLimb has 5 pinching movements (one for each finger) and this allows more sophisticated functionality. In addition, the iLimb can be rotated manually so that the prosthetic can find the best angle to grip, or to push buttons like on an ATM.

This isn’t some science lab technology. It’s available on the market at a current cost of $18,000. According to data, not all insurance companies cover it – but some certainly do. We know for a fact that Medicare does not.

Artificial limbs are a long way from becoming like the artificial hand of Luke Skywalker, but as they grow more and more functional, who knows?