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

A creative food lover's McDonald's lasagna has repulsed the internet. In a TikTok video that appears to have been deleted by the original creator but has been reshared on Twitter and other platforms, an unseen woman makes a dish with McDonald's products taking centre stage - for no apparent reason. In the video, she lays Big Macs in a roasting tin and squashes them down. She then pours chips and maple syrup on top, her "secret ingredient". "Trust the process this is going to be so delicious," she says before adding tomato sauce and two pounds of grated cheese and squashing it all down again. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The next bizarre ingredient is sliced bacon which she lays on top of the pile of food before adding ham and yet more maple syrup. If you thought that was the end of the matter, think again. The woman then gets some McChicken sandwiches, removes the patties then places them on top of the ever-growing pile and discarding the buns. "It's just too much dough," she explains, a bastion of logic. But she keeps the mayonnaise and the lettuce... of course. We're not done yet. Give us strength. Next is more tomato sauce, those American sliced cheese squares that have the texture of plastic, before the abomination finally goes in the oven. "It smells good," the man filming the video says after it comes out of the oven. The creation is cut up, presumably for all her guests to pretend to enjoy, but the video cuts before we can see anyone's review. No matter, though, as we can turn to the reviews of people on the internet, who were quick to label the creation an "abomination". We think we will stick with regular lasagna, too. 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.

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