FURI | Spring 2018

The Effect of Vibrotactile Stimulation on Upper Limb Proprioceptive Map Characteristics

The research makes definitive conclusions on how vibrotactile stimulation to the forefinger affects proprioceptive map error magnitude and direction. The data exhibits significant indications that vibrotactile stimulation to the forefinger increases human subjects’ ability to estimate their hand’s position in space without using visual cues compared to touching or hovering over the table in front of them. For artificial limbs, proprioceptive ability is greatly diminished due to the lack of biological sensors, and simple tasks come with a high degree of error. This model could potentially be applied to achieve a similar effect of improved proprioception in amputees.