Bionic fingertip lets amputee feel texture

An amputee feels rough or smooth textures in real-time - with his phantom hand - using an artificial fingertip connected to nerves in the arm. The advancement will accelerate the development of touch enabled prosthetics. For more information: http://www.epfl.ch eLife : http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09148

The scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have succeeded in designing a bionic fingertip that can make amputees feel textures and even differentiate between rough and smooth surfaces. The team asked Dennis Aabo Sørensen, who lost his left hand in an accident, to test it out. He said the sensations it gave him were almost like what you'd feel with your own hand.