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.