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The trial aims to address that gap through an implanted interface paired with an advanced prosthetic hand. To enable sensation, the participant underwent surgery in which electrodes were implanted in their upper-arm nerves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the prosthetic itself, sensors in the fingertips connect to a box embedded in the forearm, described as an implant-hand interface that communicates with an implanted neurostimulator. When the soldier grasps an object, the system sends neural signals intended to re-create the feeling of touch, the release said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The participant has tested the arm for more than a year and said it feels closer to a natural limb than any prosthetic used before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The work presents challenges on both the surgical and engineering sides, according to Pasquina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese are tiny, tiny, fine wires that need to be implanted,\u201d he said, describing the difficulty of placing electrodes near nerves while keeping the interface stable over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After implantation, the system must be calibrated, a process that relies heavily on participant feedback as engineers adjust stimulation frequency, intensity and duration to produce usable sensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michelle Nordstrom, a research occupational therapist in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, said sensation restored through stimulation is not identical to natural touch, but it provides critical information users otherwise lack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The added feedback can significantly reduce the mental effort required to use a myoelectric prosthesis, Nordstrom told Military Times. She described clinical testing in which participants struggled with certain tasks when stimulation was turned off. Examples include picking up a penny or maintaining a grip on a zipper pull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce we turn the stimulation on,\u201d she said, \u201cthey\u2019re able to pick up that penny. They\u2019re able to grab a hold of that zipper and maintain it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restored sensation can increase confidence in everyday situations, from holding a drink in public to walking a dog using a prosthetic hand, Abbas, one of the device\u2019s developers, told Military Times. He also noted the potential benefit for people with bilateral limb loss, particularly those injured by blasts, who lack an intact limb to compensate for sensory gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three of the seven participants in the study are connected to the military community, according to Nordstrom. She said the Walter Reed participant remains active in the Army, and two additional participants are veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trial participants commit to major surgery and years of testing without guarantees of success. That sense of service often resonates strongly with service members, even after injury, Abbas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are uncertainties, and we are asking a lot of the participants,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study remains ongoing and is expected to move into a larger clinical trial. The device is not commercially available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest hurdles for widespread access is the economics of commercialization for relatively small patient populations, Pasquina said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further, insurance limitations in civilian settings can further restrict access to advanced prosthetics, a contrast to military care systems, Nordstrom noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after those limitations, prosthetic use remains a personal choice, Nordstrom said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with someone choosing not to use a prosthetic device.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A U.S. Army soldier is participating in a clinical trial at Walter Reed testing a neural-enabled prosthetic limb designed to restore the sense of touch. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4061],"class_list":["post-79385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4LYZMGFH5ZFP3P5QEJHWXB2O2M","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2025\/12\/26\/soldier-regains-sense-of-touch-through-neural-enabled-prosthetic-limb\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n