A prosthetic technology company has unveiled an ultra-realistic range of limbs with features such as freckles, hairs and even tattoos.
Scottish company Touch Bionics have been hand-crafting upper limb prostheses for years but have recently introduced a new photographic system that is designed to help in the creation of passive prostheses.
The products called 'Living Skin' are made from high definition silicone and hand-painted to match skin tone and appearance.
Touch Bionics' CEO Ian Stevens said: 'We believe that prosthetics and therapists will find these products to be very beneficial to their patients.'
The prostheses come in parts of fingers, whole fingers, hands or arms and are designed by a patent-pending imaging system called 'Living Image'.
If a patient needs a single prosthetic such as a hand or finger, experts use the system to scan the skin tone, features and shape of their remaining limb. The system simulates natural light for the best colour match and sends the resulting image via the internet to the production facility in Scotland.
The process removes the need for time-consuming and error-prone matching practices and results in a highly realistic prosthetic in a shorter amount of time.
The system was revealed yesterday in Las Vegas at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly.
The company also unveiled i-limb ultra, an upgraded version of its flagship prosthetic hand solution, which they say is the most versatile prosthetic hand available.
It has essential functions including pushing, pulling, stabilising, supporting, light grasping and typing. It is the only prosthetic that can gradually increase the strength of its grip on an object.
Touch Bionics are based in Livingstone in Scotland and are the leading developer in upper-limb prosthetics.
