Researchers in Italy and Switzerland have created a bionic hand that allows mutilated people to feel their fingers again.
The invention is at the stage of clinical testing. It was applied to the Danish Dennis Aabo, who accidentally lost his left hand from the elbow and down.
At essay, the 36-year-old patient was able to identify the hardness of the objects he was grasping while blindfolded.
"The hand features sensors connected to each tendon on each finger. And we can use them to understand the strength of the patient as he catches an object. We use this information to cause the sensory neurons to be stimulated accurately, so we can restore this sensation in real time to the nervous system, "says researcher Silvestro Mitzera.
Η device applied to the 36-year-old patient was temporary and surgically removed.
In order to create a permanent and viable prosthetic member, scientists will need to significantly reduce electronic components.
“The first time they put it into operation it was amazing. Suddenly I started to feel things that for many years I couldn't. I was able to understand the round ones and the hard ones and the soft ones objects, and it was a wonderful feeling", describes the 36-year-old Dane.
Next challenge for scientists, a bionic hand so advanced that it earns good people in bra-de-fer.