Skip to main content

Scientists try to trick brains of amputees with phantom limb syndrome


The term “phantom limb” is often thrown around to describe the subtle sensation of something felt but not seen, but few people realize how disorienting the syndrome can be.

For more than half of all amputees, phantom limbs can be an uncanny and even painful experience, feeling as though their missing limb is much smaller than it actually was. That can cause added problems when wearing a prosthesis. Instead of sensing their limb as extended by the prosthesis, they feel as though the device just doesn’t match up with their phantom limb.

Recommended Videos

New research out of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland might help some amputees better mesh what they see with what they feel. In a paper published recently in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, the researchers show how an amputee’s brain can be tricked into thinking that a prosthetic hand blends with their own body.

Amputees feel as though their prosthesic limb belongs to their own body

“In this study, we show that amputees can actually be convinced that the prosthetic hand belongs to their own body,” Giulio Rognini, a senior scientist at EPFL and first author of the study, told Digital Trends. “We do this by going beyond the ‘seeing is believing’ idiom, based on established research on how the brain identifies what belongs to its own body. Instead of using the sense of sight alone, we used a combination of two senses — sight and touch.”

Rognini’s system works by stimulating a nerve in the subject’s stump, which cause them to feel a tactile sensation on the index finger of the phantom limb. At the same time, the index finger is illuminated on a prosthetic device, depicted to the participant through a virtual reality headset. That combination of vision and tactile sensation seems to congeal the mind, restoring the perception of the phantom limb into the prosthesis.

In studies ran on amputees, the feeling of extension of their phantom limb lasted up to 10 minutes after the simulation ended, according to the researchers. The participants said after the study that they felt as though the limb had stretched into the prosthetic device. Moving forward, they want to test whether these effects can be made permanent and whether this system can be used to alleviate or eliminate pain experienced in phantom limbs.

Dyllan Furness
Former Contributor
Dyllan Furness is a freelance writer from Florida. He covers strange science and emerging tech for Digital Trends, focusing…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more