Hand Proprioception and Touch Interfaces (HAPTIX) profram, DARPA, USA

A prosthetic hand that the wearer can feel like it is their own hand. Sensation is restored by three small electrodes implanted on the peripheral nerves of the residual limb. The sensation feels like natural sensation in the user's phantom hand. With the addition of sensation, the prosthetic hand begins to feel more like a part of the user's body.

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Prosthetic limbs have long been clunky, acting more as appendages than extensions. But modern technology is now helping amputees rediscover their sense of touch. Miles O’Brien, who lost his own arm in an accident last year, takes a look at new advances in the field.

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Igor Spetic lost his right hand in an industrial accident. Then he started working with Dustin J. Tyler, a researcher in human-machine interaction, to help develop an experimental haptic prosthetic that lets Spetic feel sensations in his missing hand.

To make the prosthetic work, Tyler tapped into Spetic’s nervous system. Implanted electrodes in the right forearm make contact with three nerves at 20 locations. Stimulating different nerve fibers produces realistic sensations: When one spot is stimulated, he feels a touch on his right palm; another spot produces sensation in his thumb. Thin-film force sensors in the device’s index and middle fingers and it’s thumb can trigger the corresponding nerve stimulation.

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