Touch Bionics Unveils World's First Bionic Finger

ProDigits is the First Ever Motor-Powered System for Patients With Missing Fingers

LIVINGSTON, Scotland, December 8 - Touch Bionics, developer of advanced upper-limb bionic technologies,
today announced the commercial launch of ProDigits, the world's first powered
bionic finger solution for patients with missing fingers. Now partial-hand
patients have a dexterous powered solution to support their return to
function and independence.

Created by the company responsible for market-leading bionics like the
i-LIMB Hand, the ProDigits solution extends life-changing technology to
partial-hand patients, whose finger absence is either due to congenital
anomalies or amputation from a traumatic incident or medical condition. The
amputee population that can benefit from ProDigits is considerable, estimated
at around 52,000 in the EU and 1.2 million worldwide, and until now, these
people have had no commercially available powered prosthetic solution open to
them.

Not having fingers or a thumb to act in opposition to one another makes
simple tasks such as holding a fork or a cup difficult and frustrating. The
articulating digit underpins much of ProDigits' technical advantage and it is
this articulation that provides the biggest benefit to the patient. With the
ability to bend, touch, pick-up and point - the ProDigits used within an
overall prosthesis reflects the function of a natural hand.

Former concert pianist, Maria Antònia Iglesias underwent amputation of
all extremities following pneumococcal septic shock of unknown origin in July
2003.

She was fitted with ProDigits and the revolutionary prosthesis already
provides Maria Antònia with functionality she previously struggled to
achieve, such as writing, holding cutlery and drinking from a glass.

In an industrial accident, Michael Bailey lost three of the fingers on
his left hand, plus half of the rest of his hand and five of the eight bones
in his wrist. Despite having never used a myoelectric prosthetic device
before, Michael found adapting to ProDigits incredibly easy.

"Honestly, I had only put it on for five minutes and I was getting it to
work just fine," he said. "It feels like it belongs there, like it's part of
me."

"I am very pleased to be part of this project and the benefits my new
hand is giving me are like a dream," says Maria Antònia. "Even a simple thing
like holding and lifting a glass of water to drink from was impossible
before, but with ProDigits I can do it easily."

The nature of each partial-hand patient case is unique, and therefore
each prosthetic build is also unique. The concept behind ProDigits is
something never before commercially available in the prosthetics industry.
Sockets are custom-designed and fabricated by clinicians to suit each
individual's specific needs.

"Vocational and social reengagement is very important to a patient's
rehabilitation after a traumatic event. Partial hand injuries are, by their
nature, challenging aesthetically and functionally," said Stuart Mead, CEO,
Touch Bionics. "With ProDigits, our goal is to provide all that we can to
reinstate a patient's function and interaction with other people in their
chosen lifestyle and career."

Because of the personalized nature of each ProDigits fitting, Touch
Bionics is developing a clinical collaborator program in North America that
will see the company partner with practitioners in order to fit patients.
Around the world Touch Bionics has established relationships and distribution
channels in over 40 countries to support the roll-out of ProDigits, supported
from its Centre of Excellence in Livingston, Scotland.

"Partial hand amputation represents the largest group of arm amputees,
and with ProDigits we finally have a functional state-of-the-art myoelectric
prosthesis that we can offer this previously underserved amputee population,"
said Jack Uellendahl, C.P.O., clinical prosthetics specialist, Hanger
Prosthetics and Orthotics. "With ProDigits, each finger is capable of being a
standalone functional unit, allowing for fitting of many different
configurations of hand absence. In addition, the movement of the ProDigit
prosthesis is natural in appearance, delivering a more elegant solution to
partial hand restoration than previously possible."

There are two control strategies that can be employed to power ProDigits:
either myoelectric sensors that register muscle signals from the residual
finger or palm, or a pressure sensitive switch input in the form of a force
sensitive resistor (FSR), or touch pad, which relies on the remnant digit or
tissue surrounding the metacarpal bone to provide the necessary pressure to
activate the finger. As with the i-LIMB Hand, a unique stall feature allows
the device to detect when it has closed around an object, also allowing users
to point single digits and configure the hand in various grip patterns.

Touch Bionics offers a range of coverings for ProDigits - for some
patients the high-tech clear and black robotic skins offered by the company
create a confident and highly functional solution. Others prefer a LIVINGSKIN
option - this high definition silicone solution is used to provide a
human-like restoration to the combined limb and prosthesis for a
comprehensive prosthetic restoration.

For photos, video, diagrams and other information relating to ProDigits,
please visit: www.touchbionics.com/prodigits-press

Follow @touchbionics on Twitter.

NOTE TO EDITORS, PHOTO EDITORS:

Additional background material, photos are available at
www.touchbionics.com/prodigits-press

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    Media contacts:

    Linda Forrest for Touch Bionics
    inmedia Public Relations Inc.
    Phone: +1-613-983-3300
    Email: lforrest@inmedia.com

    Danny Sullivan for Touch Bionics
    inmedia Public Relations Inc.
    Phone: +44(0)141-404-6478
    Email: dsullivan@inmedia.com

Media contacts: Linda Forrest for Touch Bionics, inmedia Public Relations Inc., Phone: +1-613-983-3300, Email: lforrest at inmedia.com . Danny Sullivan for Touch Bionics, inmedia Public Relations Inc., Phone: +44(0)141-404-6478, Email: dsullivan at inmedia.com .