Artificial hand helps amputees feel the squeezeWASHINGTON -- A next-generation artificial hand is letting two amputees tell the difference between a soft or firm touch — like holding a child without squeezing too tightly. Implanted electrodes allowed the men to feel the same intensity of pressure in the artificial hand as they could in their other hand, scientists at Case Western Reserve University reported Wednesday. To Keith Vonderhuevel, testing the experimental device meant finally cradling his 2-year-old granddaughter without first taking off his artificial hand for fear of hurting her. Nerves in the skin fire rapid messages to the brain so the muscles immediately squeeze tighter or loosen up. Electrodes implanted in the part of his brain that controls hand sensation made it happen.

Source: The China Post October 27, 2016 17:34 UTC