Wearable multipoint pressure device to restore a sense of touch
Multipoint contact pressure for haptic sensory prostheses
This project will create a soft, wearable sleeve that uses multiple pressure points to give people who lost touch from amputation, stroke, or diabetes useful touch signals on another part of their body.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261250 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would wear a soft, 3D-printed sleeve or band with several small actuators that press on the arm at different strengths and locations to stand in for missing touch. The team combines cues from skin and deeper tissue pressure to widen the range of sensations they can deliver. They will build the devices using 3D-printed soft actuators integrated into patterned knit covers to make them wearable and comfortable. The researchers will test different pressure ranges and contact patterns in both younger and older adults to find safe, informative settings and lay groundwork for future disease-specific trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with localized loss of touch—for example after amputation, stroke, or diabetic neuropathy—who can wear a device on their arm and attend testing visits.
Not a fit: People with normal touch sensation, widespread or non-localized sensory loss, or those who cannot tolerate wearing devices on the arm (for example due to skin wounds or severe limb contractures) may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give people with localized loss of touch practical sensory feedback to improve everyday tasks, prosthesis control, or balance.
How similar studies have performed: Related approaches using vibration or pressure feedback have shown promise in small studies, but using multipoint deep-pressure stimulation with 3D-printed soft actuators is a newer and still emerging method.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Okamura, Allison Mariko — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Okamura, Allison Mariko
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.