Bionic hand replicates feeling of proprioception

Researchers from EPFL, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and the A. Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome have developed a new bionic hand which could restore the sense of touch to amputees by replicating the feeling of proprioception. This could facilitate amputees to ascertain the shape, size, position and consistency of an object without having to look at it, because the prosthesis stimulates nerves in the amputee’s stump, which can then provide sensory feedback to the patients. Intraneural stimulation uses electric pulses sent by electrodes inserted directly into the amputee’s stump to re-connect the flow of external information. Patients then need time to gradually learn how to translate those pulses into proprioceptive and tactile sensations.
Edoardo D’Anna, EPFL researcher and lead author of the study, said: “These results show that amputees can effectively process tactile and position information received simultaneously via intraneural stimulation.”
Co-coordinator of the research, Silvestro Micera, a professor of bioengineering at EPFL and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, said: “Our study shows that sensory substitution based on intraneural stimulation can deliver both position feedback and tactile feedback simultaneously and in real time. The brain has no problem combining this information, and patients can process both types in real time with excellent results.”