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TOUCH Issue 8: Touch Technology of the Future
Prosthetic Touch
Yes, you read that correctly. We could
actually one day [relatively soon]
have prosthetics that could actually
sense touch and send those signals
to our brain. Scientists at the University
of Chicago are creating a special,
moldable piezoelectric plastic material
that could be used for artificial limbs.
Piezoelectric materials generate electric
currents when deformed, and when
wired with a circuit, could communicate
localized touch sensation to the nervous
system.
As you can imagine this would be a
huge game-changer for everyone with
prosthetics.