MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Swiss researchers have a developed a new prosthetic limb system that uses implanted electrodes to send sensory signals from the limb back to the brain, creating a more realistic sense of touch.
"We could be on the cusp of providing new and more effective clinical solutions to amputees in the next years," Silvestro Micera, head engineer at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, said in prepared remarks.
The implanted electrodes "create an intimate and natural connection with the nerves," the researchers said. The direct connection to the nervous system may allow for more intuitive motor control of the limbs and more realistic sensory feedback from the prosthesis, they added.
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