Dec 25, 2008 6:20 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Better Robotic Hands Improving Lives
Revolutionary New Prosthetic Technology Giving Amputees' Higher Quality Of Life
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
There's been a medical breakthrough, as revolutionary robotic hand technology is changing lives.
The prosthetic had actually has individually functioning fingers, which allows patients to do things they never thought possible.
Erminio Bugliana is a painter who struggles with his brush. He lost one hand, and the other was badly mangled, in a fireworks accident 20 years ago.
"You learn to become patient, or you can just go out of your mind," Bugliana said.
Now, after two decades, a seemingly impossible dream is coming true for the 52-year-old artist.
Bugliana was amazed when he got his new robotic hand for the very first time.
It's a revolutionary prosthetic called "I-Limb," and it's the first artificial hand that can move fingers independently.
"It's really unbelievable," Bugliana said. "There's just so many things going through my mind, in regards to life being so much easier."
"Things like holding a cup or grabbing a credit card would be made much more simple by the new technology.
The robotic had works with nerves and muscles in the forearm, where the hand is attached. Bugliana flexes certain muscles to make the hand move in different ways.
"The microprocessor in here is basically the whole thing that makes it work independently, plus there's a motor in each individual digit," Dr. Jared Howell, a physical therapist, said.
"They outdid themselves on this one," Bugliana says.
And now, with a glove that allows for a better grip, Bugliana will be able to ride a motorcycle.
More importantly, after two decades of dreaming and hoping, Bugliana is back to holding a brush and painting, his life back in his hand.
"It's funny how God can take something away, but also he can give it back," Bugliano said.
Bugliana's also looking forward to cutting a steak and driving a car, and simple everyday tasks like buttoning his shirt.
The new robotic hand is covered by insurance, and it's expected to be used by veterans who lose hands in combat.
Most prosthetic hands currently available are limited to a claw-like grasping motion.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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