E-dermis gives sense of touch to fingertips of prosthetic hands

Made of fabric and rubber laced with sensors to mimic nerve endings, e-dermis is claimed to recreate a sense of touch – and pain - by sensing stimuli and relaying the impulses back to the peripheral nerves. The work has been published in Science Robotics.

"This is interesting and new, because now we can have a prosthetic hand that is already on the market and fit it with an e-dermis that can tell the wearer whether he or she is picking up something that is round or whether it has sharp points,” said Luke Osborn, a graduate student in biomedical engineering.

Human skin contains receptors that relay sensations to the brain, providing a biological template for the research team, which includes members from the Johns Hopkins departments of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Neurology, and from the Singapore Institute of Neurotechnology.

Bringing a more human touch to modern prosthetic designs is critical, especially when it comes to incorporating the ability to feel pain, Osborn said.