Thanks to the help of science, those with prosthetic arms might be able to experience feelings that they’ve only imagined. The idea behind this research was to develop some method of making prosthetic limbs feel more like having actual arms. Considering that, a major problem with these limbs has always been the lack of any real connection in regards to a sense of feel.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have begun work on a control system that makes use of electrodes attached to prosthetic arms. ScienceDaily reports that researchers at the University of Illinois began testing the use of sensors in the fingertips of their newly-designed prosthetic devices. This means that a user can push down and the sensors will judge the amount of force being used.
That being said, there have been slight hurdles that researchers have encountered during this project. One problem is that these electrodes can lose their grip while being worn. Certain subjects reportedly felt continual shock after their electrodes fell off due to moisture or other conditions. This means that there still needs to be more fine-tuning conducted on these devices before they’re anywhere close to a market release.
Another understandable hurdle faced by this project is the cost of bringing this device to consumers. While it might seem daunting to keep costs low in regards to this type of technology, researchers remain optimistic. In fact, one was quoted as saying that the goal of this project is to make these sensors “completely covered by insurance.”
In closing, researchers at the University of Illinois are working on a way to make prosthetic arms feel more life-like than ever for the wearer. These prosthetic devices are fitted with electrodes that are attached to the fingers. However, there have been issues regarding keeping the electrodes safely attached. That being said, researchers are still hard at work to fine-tune these devices in order to get them to market in the near future.
