As far as medical research has come towards treating illness and injury, doctors and technicians have yet to develop an artificial hand that can give amputees the sensation of having a natural hand. This could be on the verge of changing. A team of EU-funded researchers has invented a prosthetic hand that has all the basic features of a real hand, and that amputees can actually feel.<\/strong>
![\"SMARTHAND\"](\"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/files-en\/inline-images\/SMARTHAND.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe SmartHand project succeeded in developing a system that essentially tricks the brain into thinking that a real hand is attached to a person\u2019s arm.
\u201cWhat for decades has been one of medicine\u2019s greatest challenges, we are now one step closer to solving,\u201d says SmartHand coordinator Fredrik Sebelius of Lund University in Sweden. \u201cThis offers hope to amputees for a more functional artificial hand,\u201d he adds.
Sebelius led a team that combined neuroscience, biotechnology and information technologies to develop an artificial hand that patients were able to experience, to some degree, as their own.
Key to the breakthrough is the phenomenon by which amputees imagine that their missing hand is still there \u2013 to the point that they feel what is known as \u201cphantom sensation.\u201d Even if a person\u2019s hand is missing, the \u201chand area\u201d is still present in the brain. This means an amputee can still imagine that the missing hand is moving.
\u201cThe artificial hand we developed can actually be controlled by an amputee\u2019s thoughts,\u201d says Sebelius. \u201cIf a person thinks about opening or closing their hand, these signals are sent to the prosthetic hand \u2013 and the fingers move accordingly.\u201d
In another intriguing effect, touching a certain part of an amputee\u2019s arm can be perceived as touching the missing hand. The SmartHand team developed a system that can stimulate this \u201cphantom map,\u201d with the result of causing sensation in the missing hand.
The brain\u2019s connection to the missing hand is so strong that it can be tricked into believing that the prosthetic hand is real. Amputees who tested the SmartHand \u201cfelt\u201d that the hand was being touched and experienced the illusion that it was their own. They even began to sweat when the artificial hand\u2019s rubber skin was poked with a needle.
The SmartHand device is equipped with a number of small motors that allows each finger to move separately, as well as sensors that control how hard the hand grips an object.
\u201cWe have designed and produced an artificial hand that gives a person a realistic sensation of having a natural hand,\u201d says Sebelius.
Even beyond the physical disability that amputees suffer, many must also deal with depression, a distorted self-image, and the fear of social rejection. Moreover, phantom pains, which do not ease over time, often require people to take pain medication.
Up until recently, artificial hands provided only limited benefits. They could only move in simple ways, had no sensory abilities, needed heavy batteries, and were difficult to keep clean. As a result, many amputees chose not to use them. \u201cWhat we have developed could truly help people overcome these difficulties,\u201d concludes Sebelius.
This innovation was made possible by Israel\u2019s continued participation in the official Horizon 2020 fund, managed in Israel by ISERD part of The Israel Innovation Authority (Formerly the Office of the Chief Scientist and MATIMOP). The initiative has taken Israeli R&D to the next level with the help of ground-breaking collaboration between scientists in Israel and Europe, as well as essential funding and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Background Project: SMARTHAND As far as medical research has come towards treating illness and injury, doctors and technicians have yet to develop an artificial hand that can give amputees the sensation of having a natural hand. This could be on the verge of changing. A team of EU-funded researchers has invented a prosthetic hand that has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","geographic_location":[96],"collaboration_opportunities":[97,100],"technologies":[],"class_list":["post-1250","success_story","type-success_story","status-publish","hentry","geographic_location-europe","collaboration_opportunities-academia","collaboration_opportunities-government"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Project details<\/strong>
Project acronym: <\/strong>SMARTHAND
Participants:<\/strong> Sweden (Coordinator), Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Israel, Irealand
Proj. N\u00b0<\/strong> 33423
Total costs: <\/strong>\u20ac 1 980 000
EU contribution:<\/strong> \u20ac 1 800 000
Duration:<\/strong> November 2006 – January 2010
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