Developing a Sensory Representation of an Artificial Body Part

Somatosensory feedback is essential for motor control, yet artificial limbs are thought to lack such feedback. We investigated how the body and brain gather informative sensory signals from a wearable augmentation interface (a robotic digit for motor augmentation), and whether naturally-mediated feedback can support technological embodiment.

Participants intuitively interpreted natural feedback across perceptual tasks, performing comparably to state-of-the-art artificial feedback systems. fMRI revealed an immediate and distinct, topographically-organised representation of the robotic digit. After longitudinal training, this representation was further refined, becoming more similar to the biological digits, which correlated with increased subjective somatosensory embodiment.

Our findings demonstrate that wearable devices naturally provide a powerful source of feedback which is immediately integrated with our body. Long-term use can then promote device-embodiment across the sensorimotor hierarchy.