Israeli Tech Restores Sense of Touch to Damaged Nerves

The Fellowship  |  July 13, 2021

Writers at Israel21c report that Israeli researchers have developed a new sensor that will help patients restore their sense of touch, which is hopeful news for people who have damaged nerves from amputation or injuries:

“Loss of sensation can result from a very wide range of injuries, from minor wounds – like someone chopping a salad and accidentally cutting himself with the knife – to very serious injuries,” said Ben Maoz  from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and one of the leaders of the research…

When the injured finger touches something, the touch releases tension corresponding to the pressure applied to the device – weak tension for a weak touch and strong tension for a strong touch – just like in a normal sense of touch.

Unlike existing technologies that use sensors to replace damaged nerves, batteries and electricity are not required to power the new sensor, the scientists explained, as it works on frictional force – whenever the device senses friction, it charges itself.