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. 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”. The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Science, could allow amputees to have temperature-sensing technology built into their prosthetic limbs, without the need for invasive technology. The team said they developed MiniTouch after unexpectedly discovering that amputees somehow are able to feel temperatures in their missing hand. Dr Solaiman Shokur, a neuroengineer and scientist at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, said: “We discovered a new mechanism that we call the thermal phantom sensation.” In an able-bodied person, if something hot or cold is placed on the forearm, that person will feel the object’s temperature directly on their forearm. But in amputees, that temperature sensation on the residual arm may be felt in the phantom, missing hand, the researchers said. Dr Shokur said: “(During the tests) we were expecting for them to tell us, with eyes closed, where they felt it (temperature sensations) on the stump, and if it was hot or cold. “Instead, they pointed into a drawing of a hand that they had in front of them and they told us ‘I feel it there’. “We asked them several times ‘What do you mean by that, I feel it there?’ and then they clarified that they felt it into their phantom missing hand. “So this discovery was crucial for us to develop a neurotechnology that could integrate the prosthetic hand of patients.” The team said they were able to successfully test their bionic technology in 17 out of 27 patients. MiniTouch uses information about an object’s heat conducting properties to determine how hot or cold it is. The scientists said they found that small areas of skin on the amputated arm are able to project temperature sensations to specific parts of the phantom hand, like the thumb, or the tip of an index finger. They also discovered that these temperature sensations between the residual arm and the projected phantom one is unique to each patient. Fabrizio Fidati, an amputee from Italy, who took part in the study, said: “Warmth is the most beautiful feeling there is… like when we need warmth, we use a hot water bottle.” He added: “So far, prostheses have mainly been designed to have simple everyday movements, to help you in your everyday life. “But integrations of sensations of hot and cold, in my opinion, also serves to improve social interactions. “When shaking hands with people, warmth is… fundamental.” Study participant Francesca Rossi, also from Italy, added: “Temperature feedback is a nice sensation because you feel the limb, the phantom limb, entirely. “It does not feel phantom anymore because your limb is back.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Self-driving cars will cause ‘moral panic’ – transport minister Cryptocurrency trading should be regulated as gambling, says treasury committee WhatsApp offers new password protected feature to hide messages

Sick of the way your Instagram feed looks? You can change the order of photos

Formula 1 has canceled this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix because of heavy flooding in the northern Italian region, citing safety concerns.

Locals are advised to stay home as record rainfall turns city streets into raging rivers.

The US Federal Reserve's united front against inflation could be harder to hold together going into the next hike in September, with strong economic data and falling inflation figures fueling...

Justice Department investigators have interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as part of their investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Ms Benson’s meeting with prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith took place last month and lasted for “several hours”, a source told CNN. Michigan was one of the crucial battleground states targetted by the former president and his allies as he tried to overturn Joe Biden’s legal victory, which is now the subject of a DoJ probe. Her interview with Mr Smith’s team took place after her office was subpoenaed and provided a tranche of documents to the special prosecutor that included communications between the state’s election officials and Mr Trump’s former lawyers and members of his campaign. In one email a Michigan election official reported receiving a voicemail from a person claiming to be a lawyer working for Rudy Giuliani, who was then Mr Trump’s personal attorney. “While the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, I received voicemails in December 2020 specifically requesting access to the election equipment,” the email read, reported CNN. The official also included an audio file of a call that came in from a “lawyer with Rudy Giuliani’s team,” according to the news network. In January, to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, Ms Benson was among 12 people to receive the Presidential Citizens Medal from Joe Biden. The president said that the medals how “courage and selflessness” around the events of the riot at the US Capitol, which were intended to prevent the certification of Mr Biden’s election victory. “This extraordinary recognition gives me hope that we will emerge out of this time with a democracy that is stronger, healthier, and more robust than ever before. That is what I fight for, have hope for, and what I have confidence that all of us working together can achieve,” Ms Benson said in a statement at the time. Read More A former Trump supporter who got caught up in a January 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News Trump slams DOJ for scrapping E Jean Carroll suit immunity as DeSantis balks at being his VP - latest Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain in jail until trial

Match report and player ratings from Manchester City's Champions League meeting with Red Star Belgrade.

He made it look easy.

A New York federal judge has expressed growing impatience with what he calls ex-President Donald Trump's “repeated efforts to delay” a defamation lawsuit, saying he won't stop a January trial for the “frivolous appeal” of one of his rulings

Manufacturing giant 3M said Tuesday it has reached a $6 billion settlement over claims by US military veterans that its earplugs were faulty and...

A Spanish charity says Italy has impounded its rescue ship Open Arms for violating rules by Italy’s right-wing government banning multiple rescues at sea

Liam and Noel Gallagher are at it again and once again it's Liam who is firing the shots at his older brother and his apparently 'blasphemous' cover of a famous Joy Division song. The older Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room to promote their new album Council Skies. During the performance he covered the iconic tune 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.' Now we'll leave judgment of the cover down to you but it's fair to say that Liam wasn't too impressed by Noel's attempt to pay tribute to their fellow Manchester indie music icons. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Writing on Twitter, Liam (with the obligatory swear words) said: "I must once again apologise on behalf of my family for Rkids p**s poor and damn rite blasphemous version of joy division’s love will tear us apart tut f**king tut SORRY [sic]." In case you are wondering here is Noel's cover: And for comparison's sake, here is the original classic from Joy Division. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] www.youtube.com Regardless of what you think of the cover it doesn't look like Oasis are getting back together anytime soon. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.