Prosthetic That Can Sense Touch

clipped from wbztv.com There is a breakthrough for people who've lost limbs. Swedish scientists say they've developed a robotic hand that can actually sense touch Amputee Robin af Ekenstam can pick up a water bottle without dropping or crushing it. He gives it just the right amount of pressure because for the first time in years, he can actually FEEL the bottle. "It's a feeling I have not had for a long time," he says. Robin is the first to try out what's called the Smarthand, a new prosthetic limb dotted with 40 sensors that stimulate nerves in the arm and shoot touch signals back into the brain instantaneously. The prosthetic hands available now allow patients to perform many tasks but the Smarthand is the first to offer movement control that only comes through feeling. "It could allow a patient who's married who'd like to hold their spouse's hand again," explains Dr. Heckman. "It could allow someone who could pick up their son and feel that they are holding on." hope to have it on the market within two years.