Archive for March, 2007

A Bird In The Hand

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 by keiron

HandI meet with Stuart and Phil from TouchBionics today, they were over from Scotland for the 33rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists in San Francisco.

It was great to meet them and learn more about the i-Limb myoelectric hand they have been developing, I’ve been following the progress since I found them online last year.

Hand2
Based on my research these guys are state-of-the art. The hand has fully articulated fingers and thumb and although the control is limited to proportional open and close, as per standard myo devices, the fingers move independently and are therefore able to hold onto unevenly shaped objects. You can change the position of the thumb to change the action from gripping to holding a key between thumb and finger.

I got to have a play with one of their prototype hands attached to a maglite. By changing the pressure I exerted on the open/close buttons the hand responded with likewise speed. I could use it to pick up my glass (bowl shaped), something I sure can’t do with my current hook.

I’m doubly excited about what the future has in store after meeting Stuart and Phil and can’t wait until I can get my "hand" on one later this year. I haven’t seen anyone else with anything as close to this, outside of university research labs.

Posted in Life | No Comments »

A Pinch Of Salt

Sunday, March 11th, 2007 by keiron

Saltnpepper
I thought it would be fun to do some reviews of products for one handed people. I’ll be able to share my experiences with my various prosthetic devices, but, I thought I’d start with something fun.

I love freshly ground salt and pepper and after losing my hand found it quite awkward to use a traditional pepper mill, where I had to try and hold the body of the the mill and somehow rotate the top…not an easy feat with just one hand (even when I have my hook on). So back last year Kerry (my wife) came across these two from Chef’n. These are the mini version that also have magnets on the back so we can stick them to the refrigerator where they’ll always be handy!

They’re real easy to use with one hand and work great, I get the freshly ground salt and pepper I love with no hassle. Sometimes it’s the simply things that make a big difference.

We bought ours at a local store, but I found them for sale on Amazon, I’ve added them to my One Handed Products Kaboodle list if you want to check them out.

Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »

Famous In My Own Backyard

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 by keiron

RadioAs a result of my article in the San Francisco Chronicle I was contacted by a radio show that airs on Sirius 114 and online at Lime – Outdoor Fitness With Tina Vindum.

Tina is self styled outdoor fitness pioneer living in the Bay Area and has a show about fitness and the interconnection between the body, mind, emotions, spirit and the environment. The people at the show had seen my story and wanted to have me on to share my experiences over the last year.

I thought it sounded like fun so gladly accepted the invitation and met up with Tina in the small radio studio where she records the show in San Francisco on Thursday. I wasn’t sure what to expect, given I hadn’t done this kind of thing before, but it proved to be quite painless.

I joined Tina in the sound proofed room she recorded in and the first thing that hit me when I closed the door was how quiet it was, no background noise at all…quite spooky really. I sat down and chatted with Tina while Scott Cutty, the producer, got the sound levels adjusted. Then we kicked of the first of two six minute segments recording directly to tape for the show. I figured there’d
be some prep time to go over questions and stuff but we just launched straight in to things as Tina asked me to explain what paragliding was…and then she regals me with a story of an old boyfriend who was also into paragliding back in the early days and how one day his canopy had a collapse, got twisted and spiraled into the ground, luckily he survived! It’s a small world.

UPDATED: The show will air on Saturday 10th @ 9AM EST and again on Sunday 11th @ 1 PM EST, you can hear it online at Lime or on Sirius 114.

I’m hoping I can get a copy of the segments to post on my blog after the show airs.

Posted in Media | 1 Comment »

Keiron McCammon

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