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January 10, 2025
jnani
How can we get bionic limbs to provide touch that feels closer to natural sensation?
A recent study led by Charles Greenspon and his team at the University of Chicago, using Blackrock Neurotech’s Utah Array, highlights a critical breakthrough: stimulating multiple electrodes simultaneously significantly enhances both tactile localization and intensity discrimination in neuroprosthetic users.
While single-electrode stimulation alone showed performance an order of magnitude below natural touch, this multi-electrode approach resulted in more reliable and intense tactile feedback. The study, which tracked participants over 2-8 years, demonstrated stable, long-term sensory feedback, underscoring its feasibility for real-world applications and marking a crucial finding for the future of neural implants.
This opens exciting possibilities for next-generation bionic limbs! As the researchers note, natural touch typically activates 25+ electrodes simultaneously suggesting even greater improvements in tactile realism as we scale this approach.
Read the full study in Nature Portfolio.
