Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh have been able to restore a man’s sense of touch. The patient, Nathan Copeland, a 30-year-old from Dunbar, Pennsylvania, suffered an injury to his spinal cord—the bundle of nerves that connects the brain to the rest of the body. It prevented him from moving or feeling his hands, torso, and legs.
Robert Gaunt and a research team implanted tiny electronic chips into Copeland’s brain. They stimulated nerve cells called neurons that detect touch. Wires connected the chips to pressure sensors in a prosthetic, or artificial, arm.
When researchers touched the sensors on the prosthetic hand, Copeland’s brain experienced a sensation of touch that felt like it was coming from his own paralyzed hand. He was able to identify which finger was being touched while blindfolded more than 80 percent of the time. Gaunt hopes to use this research to develop prosthetic limbs that are better able to grasp and feel objects.