Modern medicine can do extraordinary things – but how? This week, the Curiosity Podcast welcomes Dr. Sliman Bensmaia to explain how scientists are able to develop prosthetic devices that some day may be able to transmit a realistic sense of touch to their owners. An assistant professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, Dr. Bensmaia discusses how lab is working on cutting edge technology, and what's in store for the future of prosthetics.

The Bensmaia Lab studies how the peripheral and central nervous systems represent the world around us. Dr. Bensmaia's research has led to groundbreaking insights about how we perceive objects and textures through the sense of touch, and may one day lead to prosthetic devices that completely restore a realistic sense of touch for amputees and tetraplegic patients.

Additional resources discussed:

• Bensmaia Lab
• Bionic Touch Through a Brain Interface | Sliman Bensmaia | TEDxColumbiaCollegeChicago
• UChicago Discovery Series│'Brain Teasers: Cracking the Mind's Toughest Riddles' with Sliman Bensmaia
• Watch President Obama fist bump a robotic arm powered by a brain chip

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Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/neuroprosthetics-and-the-future-of-artificial-touch

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