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. 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.
