Implantable prosthetic interface could deliver sense of touch

The chip has been developed through haptics research funded by DARPA in the US

Developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Florida as part of the IMPRESS (Implantable Multimodal Peripheral Recording and Stimulation System) project funded by the DARPA’s HAPTIX program, the technology could ultimately help provide patients with sensory information by delivering precise electrical patterns to the wearer’s peripheral nerves.

Current prosthetic arm technologies work by reading signals from the wearer’s muscles or peripheral nerves to control electromotors in the prosthesis. However, these devices still don’t allow fine motor control or give patients a feeling of touch.

Commenting on the new chip Prof Rizwan Bashirullah, director of the University of Florida’s IMPRESS program said: “This effort aims to create new peripheral nerve interfaces with greater channel count, electrode density, and information stability, enabled largely by Imec’s technological innovation.”