Project TIME

TIME is a research project funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme. The title is an acronym of “Transverse Intrafasicular Multichannel Electrode System” and the focus of the project is to induce sensations and treat phantom limb pain in amputees.

The project aim
The ultimate aim of the project is to develop a novel Human Machine Interface (HMI) for treatment of phantom limb pain. The reason is that in 50-80% of the cases where a person feels a phantom limb, it is painful, and currently there are no effective treatment modalities.

Current results of the research find that a neural interface may be able to artificially evoke sensations of touch, or counteract the phantom limb pain. A new microfabricated neural interface, the Thin-film Intrafascicular Multichannel Electrode and an implantable multichannel stimulator system will form the key core technological developments in the project. This will provide amputees with a means to sense virtual environments directly.

The project is funded with 3.6 million EUR by the EU commission.