Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago have demonstrated that brain-computer interface (BCI) implants can safely restore a sense of touch for up to a decade via intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex in individuals with spinal cord injuries.
Over a combined 24–27 years of implant time across five participants, researchers delivered some 168 million ICMS pulses without any serious adverse events, and stimulation-evoked sensations remained stable and localized to the hand region, with no significant side effects.
Electrodes showed only gradual decline in sensitivity over time, with about 60–64% of contacts still functional after 10 years, indicating that this technology is a promising long-term route for restoring tactile feedback in prosthetics and other neuroprosthetic applications.
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