08. An amputee feels rough or smooth textures in real-time - in his phantom hand - using an artificial fingertip connected to nerves in the arm. The advancement will accelerate the development of touch enabled prosthetics. An amputee was able to feel smoothness and roughness in real-time with an artificial fingertip that was surgically connected to nerves in his upper arm. Moreover, the nerves of non-amputees can also be stimulated to feel roughness, without the need of surgery, meaning that prosthetic touch for amputees can now be developed and safely tested on intact individuals. The technology to deliver this sophisticated tactile information was developed by Silvestro Micera and his team at EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) and SSSA (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) together with Calogero Oddo and his team at SSSA. The results, published today in eLife , provide new and accelerated avenues for developing bionic prostheses, enhanced with sensory feedback.
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