Robotic Hand with a Sense of Touch

Touch, one of the five senses along with taste, smell, hearing and seeing, is usually taken for granted. It can be totally disastrous for a human being to survive without it. Although highly advanced prosthesis i.e an artificial body part, such as limbs and joints, are available, but their use is extremely annoying and unnatural for the user. In order to fulfil this gap, a team of scientists from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the University of Utah School of Medicine, have come together.

Their aim is to develop the first of its kind bioengineered robotic hand. This hand will be able to grow and adapt to its environment. It will provide tactile sensitivity that was absent in robotic prosthetics. The living robot shall have its own nervous system. The nervous system shall directly link robotic sensors and actuators. The multidisciplinary team is guided by FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science. This research project, titled as “Virtual Neuroprosthesis:

Restoring Autonomy to People Suffering from Neurotrauma” is being supported by a four-year, $1.3 million grant. The grant is provided by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health. The cutting-edge robotic hand and arm equipped with numerous sensory receptors that responds to environmental changes, forms the central part of the research project. The project shall benefit people who suffer from various forms of neuro-trauma like stroke and spinal cord injuries.

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By- Anuja Arora