WP1 developed small devices to measure different aspects of somatosensation, with a focus on non-painful approaches. We have working prototypes for a movement touch test, airflow perception, and wetness perception. The movement touch test is a miniaturized version of a larger, well-used robot called the Rotary Tactile Stimulator, the can stroke over skin at a well-defined speed, direction, and force. This robot is highly precise, but large and costly, making it impractical for short clinical tests. We have designed and made a small, handheld stroking device that can move over the skin in a similar rotary way with a controlled speed and direction. Our force can be relatively-controlled by using a soft brush that applies around 0.4 N. This device can be used in any setting, including in the clinic, in a scientific experiment, or even at home for remote testing. The airflow perception test is based on a small stream of air that can be regulated in terms of force via air flow and distance from the skin. The nozzle delivering the air can also be adjusted to change the focus (more or less diffuse, therefore changing the force and area stimulated) of the air stream. This small device can be applied anywhere on the skin and in tests, We have found that it is a highly sensitive test for touch detection. The wetness perception test is a small device that can apply liquid drops to the skin. The finalized prototype can deliver different volumes of drops to any flat-to-moderately-curved surface, over different heights, thus changing the force of drop impact, and to a lesser extent, the area of drop impact (drop size). Future versions will allow changing of temperature of the drop, as well as the possibility of using different liquids and not just water. It is, so far, a non-invasive, innocuous, simple test of tactile detection. A spatial touch test was also started, but a finalized prototype has not been finished, as this has posed some complex issues. WP2 focused more on long-term technical developments of microneurography, to allow this to become more efficient and be applied in clinical use. In collaboration with an industrial partner, we are developing a multi-site electrode that can record up to 32 channels while in a human peripheral nerve. This is highly challenging, but a prototype should be tested soon. In conjunction with this, we have developed a prototype of a system that can record from multiple channels in microneurography, as this currently does not exist, but is required to use the new electrode. Overall, the outcome of SOMATOSENSE has produced a variety of small devices for simpler, non-painful, and more efficient somatosensory testing, including potential at-home use, as well as a full system to record multiple peripheral nerves signals concomitantly.
