Abstract
The long-term goal of this research is to design robust haptic feedback systems for prostheses. Limb loss significantly affects quality of life, and current prosthetic systems often fail to work across the diverse environmental conditions experienced in our day-to-day lives. Prior work has demonstrated the utility of electrocutaneous (EC) stimulation as a form of haptic feedback and sensory restoration. Here, we explore the impact of tissue temperature on the perception of sensations evoked by EC stimulation. We show that tissue temperature significantly influences perceived intensity and sensory thresholds during EC stimulation, with colder temperatures reducing perceived intensity and elevating detection thresholds compared to normal body temperatures. On average, perceived intensity was 20% less for cold conditions (0.921 ± 0.154, warm; 0.739 ± 0.270, cold), and detection threshold was 27% higher for cold tissue (2.44 ± 0.66mA, warm; 3.09 ± 1.05mA, cold). Subjective reports also indicated some qualitative changes in sensations between cold and warm conditions. These findings suggest that environmental temperature directly impacts the efficacy of haptic feedback systems, providing critical insights for robust prosthetic design.Clinical Relevance- Artificial sensory feedback used in prostheses is less effective in cold temperatures.