A team of researchers have produced a sensory system which aims to map pressure points in prosthetic limbs for amputees.

The device, which is a patch made up of yarn that is interwoven to be electrically conducive, has been designed by researchers from North Carolina State University. 

It is powered by a small electrical battery, whilst the data is captured on a separate electronic device. 

According to an article on The Engineer, the team have performed tests on both artificial limbs and amputeed volunteers. The electrical charges produced differ depending on how close together the yarns are at each lattice point as a result of both limb movement and pressure being applied by the user.

“We connected the textile fibres to an electrical circuit that is a little larger than a quarter, and that can scan as many as ten by ten fibres. That gives us 100 points of measurement,” said Alper Bozkurt, who is a co-author of the study.

This patch has the potential to be a much more streamlined alternative to that of other sensory systems.

“They’re hard, they’re bulky, they can be heavy. These are not things that amputees can use on a daily basis because rigid sensors affect the fit of the amputees’ prosthetics,” said Jordan Tablor, who is the first author of the study.