Important Innovations

Breakthrough Innovation from Saudi Arabia Artificial Skin that Feels A team at KAUST, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, has developed a new, magnetic skin that could enable new, wearable consumer technology and assistive devices for the elderly and disabled.  The skin is imperceptible, biocompatible and very innovative.  The new tech ushers in a new generation of touch sensors with low-cost technology applications. No Batteries or Wires Needed What is remarkable is the skin doesn't require embedded electronics....no wires, batteries or antennas.  The material is ultra flexible.  It's powered by an elastomer matrix mixed with magnetic powder. Tailor-Magnetized for Specific Uses The skin is tailor-magnetized for specific applications.  The uses include tracking eye movements to detect disease and robotic arms and prosthetics with haptic perception.  The key innovator is KAUST PhD. candidate Ahmed Alfadhel who st...

Swiss Scientists Use Virtual Reality to Help Amputees Feel Prosthetics as Part of their Body Scientists at Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) combined virtual reality with artificial tactile sensation to help two amputees feel their prosthetic hand as part of their body.  They also demonstrated that the phantom limb actually grows into the prosthetic hand. Mind-Body-VR Connections The basis of this breakthrough approach is how the brain identifies what belongs to its own body.  Their breakthrough was combining two senses - sight and touch.  According to the lead scientist Giulio Rognini of EPFL:  "We showed exactly how vision and touch can be combined to trick the amputee's brain into feeling what it sees" thru VR. Portable Therapy This process is portable and could be turned into therapy to help patients embody their prosthetic limbs permanently.  It's a case of VR providing life enhancing feeling and experience.