New Hands, New Life: Robots, Prostheses and Innovation

Everyone uses machines in our daily life -- cars, buses and bikes; computers and phones; washing machines and dryers. Another type of machine is an "assistive technology". These enable a man missing a leg to walk, a woman missing an arm to hold objects, and a child in a wheelchair to play a sport.

New Hands, New Life offers young readers the opportunity to learn how our bodies work during physical activity and what happens when they don't work properly. It shows how exciting advances in technology and science have allowed us to create assistive technologies -- from artificial limbs and wheelchairs to exoskeletons and robots -- that make it possible for someone with a disability to make new abilities. Assistive technologies are especially life-changing for a child who can overcome the challenges of a missing limb or reduced motor function to enjoy a life of learning and play that would be otherwise out of reach.

Topics include:

The emergence of robotics

Anatomy and physiology related to movement and activity, including motor control

Why some children need help to move or do things

Different types of challenges (e.g., walking, interacting with environment)

Diseases, trauma and disabilities that affect movement

Working together with robots

Making robots (robotics clubs, LEGO toys, other kits)

3-D printing of prostheses for growing children.

The book features case studies that follow the design and fitting of assistive technologies. There are pictures of the labs, robots, and researchers working to develop new machines, along with a brief history of prosthetics and a survey of medical-engineering work currently underway in many countries.

New Hands, New Life provides fascinating, illustrated coverage of a topic rarely covered for a young audience. It is an essential selection for all libraries, and for many families.

Jan Andrysek, PhD, PEng, is a scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital. His research relates to rehabilitation engineering, prosthetics, orthotics, assistive devices, engineering design, biomechanics, and video-game based rehab and technologies for developing countries.

Alex Mihailidis, PhD, PEng, has been conducting research in the field of pervasive computing and intelligent systems in health for the past 13 years, having published over 100 journal papers, conference papers, and abstracts in this field. He has specifically focused on the development of intelligent home systems for elder care and wellness, technology for children with autism, and adaptive tools for nurses and clinical applications. He works at the University of Toronto.