Roger Thomas is a hand model. But you won’t find him on television showcasing hand emollients or dishwashing soap that soften hands while you do the dishes. Rather, Thomas wears and models the i-LIMB Pulse prosthetic hand, manufactured by Touch Bionics, Livingston, Scotland. As the first person in the United States to wear the i-LIMB Pulse, he joined Touch Bionics at the National Assembly of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) this past September to showcase the hand’s merits. With a welcome smile and a firm handshake, he challenged attendees to try to remove a spongy ball he gripped firmly with his prosthesis. More often than not, they failed to pry it from his clenched bionic fingers.
