I don’t know any amputees, I hope no one I know ever suffers an accident resulting in amputation, but should it happen, Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, may have the solution. This guy has been thinking about it for some time and has come up with a very sophisticated prosthetic arm – think bionic man, but instead of remaining as bad 1970s television fiction, it is now within reach, and markets being what they are will likely plummet in cost before long.
Kamen’s arm, dubbed “Luke” (after Skywalker, I assume), is an incredibly sophisticated bit of engineering that’s lightyears ahead of the clamping “claws” that many amputees are forced to use today. The arm is fully articulated, giving the user the same degrees of movement as a natural arm, and is sensitive enough to pick up a piece of paper, a wineglass or even a grape without mishap.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid1576332530