Artificial hand helps amputees feel just how hard to squeeze

WASHINGTON—A next-generation artificial hand is letting two amputees tell the difference between a soft or firm touch—like holding a child without squeezing too tightly. It’s another step toward developing prosthetics that can feel.

Implanted electrodes allowed the men to feel the same intensity of pressure in the artificial hand as they could in their other hand, scientists at Case Western Reserve University reported Wednesday.

To Keith Vonderhuevel, testing the experimental device meant finally cradling his 2-year-old granddaughter without first taking off his artificial hand for fear of hurting her.

“Just to be able to touch and feel, it’s an amazing thing,” said Vonderhuevel, of Sidney, Ohio, who lost his right arm below the elbow 11 years ago in a job accident. “It feels like a light pressure. The harder I squeeze, the stronger that pressure gets.”

And while enhancing prosthetics with a sense of touch will take lots more research, the Case Western team is beginning the next big step: Vonderhuevel and a second volunteer can use the experimental hand at home, not just the laboratory, to start learning if it makes a difference in everyday life.