i-LIMB bionic hand

A new hope has arrived for amputees that would make Luke Skywalker feel right at home: a highly advanced bionic hand controlled by a patient's mind and muscles.

The newly released iLimb is the first prosthetic hand to have fully functional motorized digits that move and bend independently, its makers say. Electrodes taped to the skin transmit signals to tiny motors that power the fingers.

Previous artificial hands had only a thumb and forefinger that worked in a clawlike grasping action. But the new device allows amputees to carry out more delicate movements such as peeling a banana, typing on a computer, or eating with a knife and fork.

The iLimb is also covered by a semitransparent "cosmesis" that is computer modeled to look like human skin.

The technology has been tested by a number of people, including US soldiers who lost limbs in the Iraq war.

The hand, manufactured by Touch Bionics of Scotland, went on sale in Britain for £8,500 (U.S. $17,454). An entirely lifelike version is on sale privately for around £13,000 ($26,695).