A Robotic Hand, This Time with Feeling

A man with a robotic hand can now feel varying degrees of pressure thanks to an implant that connects with the nerves in his arm.

A Dutch man who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident nine years ago is now able to feel different kinds of pressure on three fingers of a prosthetic, robotic hand. The work involved a new kind of implanted device that delivers feedback directly to the remaining nerves in the mans arm. The implant was left in place for 31 days, allowing the man to feel gradations of touch pressure, depending on the amount of electrical stimulus delivered.