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proCover: Smart Sock Adds Sensation to Prosthetic Limbs

Today's commercially available prosthetic limbs don't feature tactile sensation or feedback. Researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Hagenberg, Austria have developed a prototype that offers a custom, self-applicable approach for the sensory augmentation of low to mid-range priced lower-limb prosthetics. Their 'proCover' is made of layers of conductive fabric that sandwich a piezoresistive layer, which creates a pressure-sensitive grid that covers the foot and ankle. This is connected to a ring of vibrating motors, and pressure on a certain part of the foot causes certain motors to vibrate at different frequencies.