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In a First, a Prosthetic Limb Can Sense Temperature Like a Living Hand

The advance may help users feel a greater sense of human connection through touch

MiniTouch is a thin, wearable sensor that’s easily slipped over an existing prosthetic finger and linked to those points on the residual limb’s skin that were known to produce sensations felt as if they were in the missing hand. In one ancient Egyptian burial chamber, the remains of a woman were found with a wooden and leather creation dubbed the “Cairo Toe,” an artistically crafted prosthetic that, 3,000 years ago, was painstakingly fitted to her foot. By the time of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), people were being fitted with iron hands —in an attempt to provide function, cables, springs and other means were used to help limbs bend, or fingers grip objects, albeit imperfectly.

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