While the feedback one gets through support / user circles concerning the iLimb hand is alleged to not be very good, this does not necessarily mean much. It may not be a significant thing to learn after all. Because on the other hand (‘bwahaha’) the iLimb hand does seem to have its fans. In my own view and having seen this device up-front, it is extremely loud and noisy and – as mentioned on this blog website several times now – not too functional.
Whatever may turn out to be the case from your own view, the iLimb hand appears to be a generally lovable and endearing product. A bit on the expensive side, admitted – but still lovable. Generally people wear things and like things that may not even have to be too functional. Why one would have to point out an iLimb to wear as product that falls into the ‘lovable but not too functional’ category is something I do not understand though. For my own needs, wearing a ‘lovable but not too functional arm’ is sufficiently covered by using my cosmetic arm.
But now there is this study out so let’s have a look.
The authors of this study [1] now come to the conclusion that despite all novelty, the iLimb ends up equal or worse compared to the DMC plus hand which surely could pass as a work horse but not as pinnacle of latest bionic advances:
The functional scores of the i-Limb hand were equal or even lower than those of the DMC plus hand, which is interesting given the novel technical improvements of the i-Limb. In the i-Limb exiting the Thumb Only position took extra time in performing several tasks. The rigid wrist made it difficult to position the hand for the zipper task. Moreover, the limited power of the i-Limb made execution of the heavy lateral task impossible.
(…)
(…) future innovations of prosthetic hands should take the limitations of the i-Limb hand into account.
[1] Olga Van Der Niet Otr, Heleen A. Reinders-Messelink, Raoul M. Bongers, Hanneke Bouwsema, and Corry K. Van Der Sluis, The i-LIMB Hand and the DMC Plus Hand Compared: A Case Report Prosthet Orthot Int June 2010 34: 216-220, doi:10.3109/03093641003767207 [link] [local]
@article{niet2010,
author = {Van Der Niet Otr, Olga and Reinders-Messelink, Heleen A. and Bongers, Raoul M. and Bouwsema, Hanneke and Van Der Sluis, Corry K.},
title = {The i-LIMB Hand and the DMC Plus Hand Compared: A Case Report},
volume = {34},
number = {2},
pages = {216-220},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.3109/03093641003767207},
abstract ={The i-LIMB hand is a novel upper limb myoelectric prosthetic hand with several joints in the fingers and thumb. This study aimed to determine whether this new device had more functionality than a more conventional myoelectric prosthetic hand with only a single joint between the thumb and two fingers. Therefore, a 45-year-old man with a wrist disarticulation used the i-LIMB hand and the widely used Dynamic Mode Control hand (DMC plus hand) in a test procedure that covered all functional levels of the International Classification of Function (ICF). Functional outcomes of the i-LIMB seemed to be lower than or equal to the DMC plus hand. The patient's satisfaction tended to be in favor of the i-LIMB. Compared to the DMC plus hand, the i-LIMB was more reliable when holding objects but had a lack of power and was less robust. We concluded that the i-LIMB hand has limited additional functionality compared to the DMC plus hand.},
URL = {http://poi.sagepub.com/content/34/2/216.abstract},
eprint = {http://poi.sagepub.com/content/34/2/216.full.pdf+html},
journal = {Prosthetics and Orthotics International}
}
