Amputees Can Sense Feeling of Touch with New Prosthetic Hand (VIDEO)

Amputees may just be able to regain the sensation of touch, thanks to new technology. Scientists are looking at creating prosthetic limbs that can send electrical impulses so that the user can actually "feel" what they're touching.

"The sense of touch is one of the ways we interact with objects around us," said Dustin Tyler, the director of the new research, in a news release. "Our goal is not just to restore function, but to build a reconnection to the world. This is long-lasting, chronic restoration of sensation over multiple points across the hand."

The new system uses electrical stimulation in order to give the sense of feeling. However, there are key differences from other reported efforts. The nerves that used to relay the sense of touch to the brain are stimulated by contact points on cuffs that encircle major nerve bundles in the arm rather than by electrodes inserted through the protective nerve members. In addition, the researchers created new algorithms that convert the input from sensors taped to a patient's hand into varying patterns and intensities of electrical signals. The sensors themselves aren't sophisticated enough to discern textures and instead only detect pressure. Yet different signal patterns, passed through the cuffs, are read as different stimuli by the brain.

This, in particular, is huge in terms of sense of touch. Over time, the sense of touch gets better; in fact, one of the volunteers for the study admitted that at one time, he could feel the sensation of water running across the back of his hand.

"I don't presume the stimuli we're giving is hitting the spots on the map exactly, but they're familiar enough that the brain identifies what it is," said Tyler.

The new technology, which is still being lab tested, could potentially be used in prosthetic hands in order to make delicate movements easier for amputees. By being able to feel how hard they're squeezing something, this new technology could make everyday movements far less tiresome. In addition, the technology could potentially be used for those using prosthetic legs so that they can receive input from the ground and adjust to gravel or uneven surfaces.

The findings are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.