World first: bionic fingertip enables amputee to feel texture

[Judi Lynn]

World first: bionic fingertip enables amputee to feel texture
Written by Honor Whiteman
Published: Today

A man from Denmark has become the world's first amputee to feel textures in real-time with the help of a bionic fingertip connected to the nerves of his upper arm.

Dennis Aabo Sørensen, who lost his hand in a firework accident more than a decade ago, says the sensations he felt with the novel device were almost the same as those he felt with his real hand.

The creators of the artificial fingertip, including Silvestro Micera of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, say the development brings us closer to "sensory restoration in the next generation of neuro-prosthetic hands."

In 2014, Medical News Today reported on another bionic creation from Micera and colleagues: a sensory-enhanced artificial hand.

Sørensen became the first amputee to feel objects in real-time with the artificial hand; he was able to detect the shape and consistency of objects with the device, as well as the strength of his grasps on them.

More:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307574.php

[mindwalker_i]

1. Beyond restoring feeling for disabled people

This could be used to interface to computers and give us extra, virtual senses. It would possibly be of great use for sending back tactile feedback for operating robots remotely (waldos). Also, virtual reality sites could send back tactile feedback when the user touches a virtual object.

As with all internet technologies, the porn industry will drive advancement.

[Initech]

2. Imagine what this will do for VR!

Think about it - the world's first touch interactive VR porno!

[mindwalker_i]

3. That's what I was suggesting

It could keep people perpetually active. On the political side, it could keep people distracted from those who control things to an even greater extent.

[malthaussen]

4. Only because military applications would seem to be limited.

While porn does drive many internet applications, and will doubtless drive this one (well, porn and games, further blurring the line between the two), military applications also play an important part, and after all the Internet was originally a military/government network.

-- Mal

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. This would be fantastic for a mars lander.

[redruddyred]

6. i have an unarguably excellent solution to cure those deprived of their limbs

DONT SEND OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO POINTLESS WARS!

[AuntPatsy]

7. Amazing ...