A new form of prosthetic interface has been developed raising the possibility that future amputees might not only have their mobility restored, but also their sense of touch.
Although advances in prosthetic arms are creating increasingly dexterous limbs (and this is arms rather than legs – the latter are far simpler beasts, mechanically speaking) the ability to convey sensory input has been far less developed.
Now, researchers from the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University have developed a new electronic ‘cuff electrode’ that is implanted into a patient to convey a range of sensations from 20 spots located on a prosthetic hand.
