Restoring the sense of touch with a prosthetic hand through a brain interface

TLDR

Sensory signals from the hand are essential for object manipulation, and restoring motor function with upper‑limb neuroprostheses requires providing somatosensory feedback to tetraplegic patients or amputees. The study aims to convey contact location, pressure, and timing information to the somatosensory cortex via intracortical microstimulation to restore touch. They used intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex to deliver biomimetic feedback of contact location, pressure, and timing. In nonhuman primate experiments, intracortical microstimulation elicited localized skin percepts that tracked pressure and contact timing, suggesting biomimetic feedback could restore touch in people who have lost it.

Abstract

Significance Our ability to manipulate objects relies fundamentally on sensory signals originating from the hand. To restore motor function with upper-limb neuroprostheses requires that somatosensory feedback be provided to the tetraplegic patient or amputee. Accordingly, we have developed approaches to convey sensory information critical for object manipulation—information about contact location, pressure, and timing—through intracortical microstimulation of somatosensory cortex. In experiments with nonhuman primates, we show that we can elicit percepts that are projected to a localized patch of skin, that track the pressure exerted on the skin, and that signal the timing of contact events. We anticipate that the proposed biomimetic feedback will constitute an important step in restoring touch to individuals who have lost it.