Prosthetic skin can now feel touch
by Andrew Smythe
Engineers at Stanford created a new kind of prosthetic limb that could sense and touch just like a human limb. The prosthetic limb has the capability of sensing any kind of touch, and sending a chemical signal to the brain. Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford and main contributor of the project, hopes to create skin that could sense the differences between any kind of physical stimulus, feel temperature differences, and possibly heal itself in times of injury. The first step was achieved by making the pressure sensing limb.
Bao and her research team used a technique called optogenetics, which was created by Karl Deisseorth. The idea was that they could alter the cells to sense differences in light in order to deduce a change in environment. Dependent on the frequency of light available, the cells would turn on or off. If the cells were to be turned on, then they would send the electrical signal, and relay it to the neurons in the brain.
The next step for Bao's research group is to apply a two-ply plastic construct method. The top layer of the construct feels pressure against human skin, and the bottom layer would create a biochemical stimulus that would serve as a signal for the neurons. In addition to the six available biomechanisms of touch, the two-ply method would create more possible sensations for the limb to feel
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Wow we are getting closer and closer to making human looking cyborgs. As I read this article I could imagine Luke from Empire Strike Back as his new hand get pricked after his surgery to see if his new prosthetic hand response to pain. They will be great for the people who have lost their limbs either due to accidents or from birth.
ReplyDeleteThis is remarkable! I can just imagine how great this will be for people who have lost limbs whether it was in a war accident or just from birth. This study could also bring us closer to those human robots that actually kind of freak me out. I am excited to see the good that can come from this!
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly interesting! I wonder how far they can take this research in terms of a piece of metal detecting such things like touch and temperature. I'm really baffled by how the signal is even transmitted to the brain. That is absolutely amazing. Definitely worth the read and I'm curious to see the where the progressions with prosthetic limbs leads to.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly interesting! I wonder how far they can take this research in terms of a piece of metal detecting such things like touch and temperature. I'm really baffled by how the signal is even transmitted to the brain. That is absolutely amazing. Definitely worth the read and I'm curious to see the where the progressions with prosthetic limbs leads to.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! Now people who have lost limbs in accidents or due to diseases/birth defects can have a prosthetic limb that perceives sensation like the rest of their body. What a great step forward for the field!
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