They’ve Made Bionic Hands For Women…& They’re Not Pink!

On the big screen, everyone's always fighting the robots for control of Earth. But down here in the real world, it's always nice to get a reminder of how technology can dramatically improve people's lives. Take 29-year-old Londoner Nicky Ashwell, who just started using "the world's most lifelike bionic hand," called the BeBionic. Ashwell, a project manager at a fashion forecasting company, was born without a right hand, but has managed pretty well for herself. She used a prosthetic hand just for aesthetic purposes. But this new device is articulated to the point that she can lift small objects or lift weights, hold onto the pole on the train, or ride a bike. "I keep finding myself being surprised by the little things, like being able to carry my purse while holding my boyfriend’s hand," she says in a press release about the device. Aww. What's extra cool about this hand, which its makers say uses Formula 1 technology, is that it's built on a scale to fit a woman (or anyone with a petite frame) and yet it's not pink or some other such overtly girly nonsense. Though there is a cover that comes with it, according to ThisIsLondon.com, Ashwell is into the bionic look: "I quite like it like this. I'm not trying to disguise it as a real hand. I’m happy for it to look all robotic and cool.” Stateside, 10-year-old Abbie Brunet is learning to use a BeBionic in Covington, Louisiana. CBS affiliate WWLTV reports that insurance initially wouldn't pay for a robotic prosthetic for her, because they doubted she'd be able to use it. But this model's lightweight design makes it ideal for her, according to doctors, and the insurance is now covering the device. Once Brunet got her new hand, she and her dad asked when she'd be able to use it to go fishing. Brian Moore, the prosthetist who fitted her, said she'd be able to adapt the device to all sorts of sports and activities, like hammering a nail. "It's just interchangeable pieces. It's very similar to Legos, one piece pops off, one piece pops on. It would be a hand that looks like a hammer. The hand would be the hammer." Think of all this when you get back to watching Sarah Connor battle Skynet next week.