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One of the biggest problems to solve in relation to who should use a bionic limb is precisely the lack of sensitivity. What is new is that biomedical engineers have created a new generation of electronic skin capable of restoring a true tactile sensor in patients who have lost limbs and use prostheses.
"After several years, I felt my hand, as if an empty shell was filled with life again," said the anonymous tester who served as a volunteer to the team's team. Johns Hopkins University
artificial skin is made of cloth and rubber, incorporated with sensors to mimic nerve endings. The e-dermis recreates not only the sensation of touch, but also sensory stimuli, such as pain, and sends impulses back to the peripheral nerves.
The electronic skin allows the user to feel a continuous spectrum of tactile perceptions,
"We manufacture a sensor that goes beyond the fingertips of a prosthetic hand and that acts as his own skin, inspired by what is happening in human biology, with receptors for touching and suffering. "
" It's interesting and new because now we can get a prosthetic hand that's already on sale on the market and endow it with an e-derma that can tell the user when he is picking up something that is round or he has sharp ends, "said the researcher Luke Osborn
<img itemprop = "image" clbad = "lazy" title = "E-dermis permite sensação de toque e dor em mão biônica." Src = "https://www.oficinadanet.com .br / imagens / post / 23080 / implants-advanced-1_750x469_5b34e00529440.jpg "alt =" E-dermis allows the sensation of touch and pain in the ma in bionics. bone pain of the hand
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The team has developed a "neuromorphic model" capable of mimicking the tactile and painful receptors of the human nervous system. Thus, following the activity of the brain by electroencephalography, or EEG, the team was able to prove that the volunteer was even able to perceive the sensations in his bionic hand.
The e-dermis connection to the volunteer is non-invasively produced, called transcutaneous nerve stimulation, or TENS. To feel the pain, the volunteer touched a sharp object. The pain was not felt in round objects, for example.
The e-dermis, however, is not yet temperature sensitive. In the initial test, the team focused solely on detecting the curvature of the object (for the perception of touch and shape) and the sharpness (for the perception of pain).
The ultimate goal is to help amputees regain their feelings.
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