The science of prosthetics has come a long way from the crude wood-and-metal devices of earlier generations. Bioengineers have even developed artificial limbs that can be operated by the user’s mind.
Now, a team at the University of Washington’s Center for Neurotechnology is working to take that one step further: engineering a device — say, a prosthetic arm — that can actually deliver the sensation of touch.
“How do you get information from that robotic arm back into your brain that tells you when it’s touched a person’s hand, or is picking up an egg?” says David Caldwell, a doctoral student in the UW lab.
