SENSATION RESTORED TO AMPUTEE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Researches behind LIFEHAND 2 use robotic prosthesis and transneural electrodes to achieve the incredible

For the first time, an amputee was able to feel again and it is thanks to a robotic prosthetic hand packed with cutting-edge technology. The success of the LIFEHAND 2 is an exciting development in the field of neuroprosthetics that will hopefully translate to continued R&D and eventually the availability of sensory rich prosthetics to amputees worldwide.

LIFEHAND 2 project is composed of two main components: the prosthetic itself, the OpenHand, and electrodes implanted into nervous tissue of the patient’s arm. The OpenHand converts tension-measurements into electrical signal, which is in turn sent up to the brain via the implanted transneural electrodes, providing sensory feedback.

The results of clinical trials are extremely promising; the patient, who has been without feeling in his hand for 10 years, once again has experienced the sensation of touch in real-time. Thanks to sensory feedback provided by LIFEHAND 2, the patient was able to feel “soft or hard, round or square.”

Consumer-versions of a bionic prosthetic are indeed a long way off, but this incredible advancement in technology is indeed very encouraging.