Scientists develop device that allows amputees to feel warmth in phantom hand

The electrodes on the amputated arm are able to relay the temperature of the object being touched by the finger sensor, giving “the illusion that we are cooling down, or warming up, missing fingers”

A patch of skin on amputee Fabrizio Fidati’s residual arm in contact with the device (Alain Herzog/EPFL/PA)

Scientists have developed a device that allows amputees to feel warmth in their phantom hand.

MiniTouch consists of a small sensor placed on an amputee’s prosthetic finger and electrodes that mimic sensations on the residual arm.