A brain implant and prosthesis have restored the sense of touch to a paralyzed man. Free Technical Library News

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Brain implant and prosthesis restore sense of touch to paralyzed man

22.10.2016

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a system that restored the sense of touch to a person with paralysis of the arms and legs. He can sense objects by touching them with his robot arm, which he controls solely with his mind.

Prostheses are getting better every day, but they still can't restore their user's sense of touch. This is a serious problem when you consider how important the sense of touch is to the use of the hands. Without it, it is almost impossible to understand the difference between a piece of cake and a fork, for example. A team led by Robert Gaunt of the University of Pittsburgh has pioneered a system that overcomes this limitation by allowing a 28-year-old paralyzed man to sense objects with a robotic limb.

To make the system work, the scientists implanted small microelectrodes - each the size of a shirt button - into the patient's primary somatosensory cortex, the exact part of the brain that receives all sensory input from the body. Even before the operation, brain scans showed exactly where the processing of signals from each finger and palm takes place.
After the operation, all signals went through the electrodes. With the help of a computer, this allowed the patient to feel touch through the robotic arm. It is important that stimulation of the cerebral cortex produces natural sensations, not just tingling, and the effect of the operation lasts for months. Patient Nathan Copeland correctly identifies objects in 80% of cases and feels pressure, as well as its intensity, but cannot yet understand whether the object is cold or hot in his hand. "Our main goal is to create a system that moves and feels like a real hand," says Gaunt. "There is still a lot of work ahead, but a start has been made."

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