12/17/2013
Hand prosthesis with a sense of touch
The idea is to develop an interface able to convey an impressive sense of touch from an array of locations on a prosthetic hand.
The technology will feature a custom interface, which will contain and gently flatten three nerve bundles in the arm to maximize surface area. Three cuffs implanted inside the arm will deliver electrical signals from the prosthetic to nerve fibers to simulate the sense of touch. The interface will be able to convey tactile information from 20 spots on a prosthetic hand.
The implants will also continue to function after 18 months, which is significant because electrical interfaces to nerve tissues have shown the tendency to degrade in performance.
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