Breakthrough: bionic hand that can feel

After this year's first bionic hand amputee feels that they are touching sensory perception allows the operation with the introduction of a new generation of artificial organs can be transplanted.Silvestro Ecole Polytechnique Federale DE Lausanne Micera in Switzerland, said the patient in his 20s who lives in Rome is an unknown person who lost the lower part of his arm after an accident.


Hoped that his new bionic hand wiring of the human hand movement control as well as hand contact sensors will be able to receive signals with the patient's nervous system to be connected.Dr. Micera the right hand of the patient's hand was cut two of the most important nerve electrodes, Median and ulnar nerves will be associated with the nervous system.The man with his thoughts in his head sensory signals received from the sensors by hand should be allowed to control. This one-day, one bidirectional flow between the nervous system and the artificial hand will provide an effective way."The real development for amputees, real hope. Catch the first satellite that will provide real-time sensory feedback will be," said Dr. Micera.

"It is clear that sensory perception is an amputee, most likely you will get the organ full acceptance," in The Boston American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting told.He amputees in the next year on the cusp of new and more effective treatments may provide a solution, "he said.A first-hand, portable model temporarily Pierpaolo Petruzziello, 2009 in a car accident, has lost half his arm was attached. The bionic arm to move the fingers, clench a fist and I was able to hold objects. The needles pricked in the palm of her hand could feel a sense.However, the latest prototype version of the first two fingers with sensory zone palm and wrist sensory signals sent from all parts of life will be as close a sense, Dr. Micera said.

 The idea that it can provide two or more sense. A pinch and you can find three fingers, hand and wrist movement or feeling, "said Dr. Micera."We interface [with the patient] is better, so we highly detailed and hand movement control are likely to see," he told the meeting.Plan for the patient bionic hand for a month, see how he adapts to wear artificial limbs. , Dr. Micera said that if everything goes well, within two years for testing will be a full working model.
Another issue is that under the patient's skin to make them less obtrusive way to hide wiring. Prototype of the hand electrodes inserted through the skin rather than later this year, but below that of subcutaneously wiring projects are under development to install,