Artificial tactile and proprioceptive feedback improves performance and confidence on object identification tasks.

Somatosensory feedback of the hand is essential for object identification. Without somatosensory feedback, individuals cannot reliably determine the size or compliance of an object. Electrical nerve stimulation can restore localized tactile and proprioceptive feedback with intensity discrimination capability similar to natural sensation.

Stability and selectivity of a chronic, multi-contact cuff electrode for sensory stimulation in human amputees.

Objective: Stability and selectivity are important when restoring long-term, functional sensory feedback in individuals with limb-loss. Our objective is to demonstrate a chronic, clinical neural stimulation system for providing selective sensory response in two upper-limb amputees.

Approach: Multi-contact cuff electrodes were implanted in the median, ulnar, and radial nerves of the upper-limb.

A neural interface provides long-term stable natural touch perception.

Touch perception on the fingers and hand is essential for fine motor control, contributes to our sense of self, allows for effective communication, and aids in our fundamental perception of the world. Despite increasingly sophisticated mechatronics, prosthetic devices still do not directly convey sensation back to their wearers. We show that implanted peripheral nerve interfaces in two human subjects with upper limb amputation provided stable, natural touch sensation in their hands for more than 1 year.