An MIT graduate student who developed implants that may give artificial limbs the sense of touch was awarded the prestigious 1999 Lemelson-MIT prize for inventiveness on Thursday.
Daniel DiLorenzo, who is completing a joint M.D. and Ph.D. program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University this spring, also was recognized for his work on patented medical devices, including one that helps break the habit of bed-wetting and another that controls swelling in brain tissue during surgery.
The US$30,000 Lemelson-MIT prize, open only to MIT graduating seniors and graduate students, was established in 1994 to recognize talented innovators.
DiLorenzo, a native of Fort Washington, Maryland, said he is ready to file for a patent on his device that he says may give a sense of touch to artificial limbs.
"Many of the sophisticated artificial limbs have sensors that sense muscle activity that tells the device what to do ... but they can't feel, and that seriously limits the use of the device," DiLorenzo said.
DiLorenzo traced his inventiveness to tinkering with Erector sets as a boy.
"My parents knew they were in trouble when at age 2 1/2 I asked what was the color of electricity," said DiLorenzo. "They tried to keep me occupied by buying me an Erector set."
DiLorenzo is headed to the University of Utah this summer to continue his work that combines engineering with the health sciences. He envisions restoring normal movement to patients with neurological damage or disease, including patients with spinal cord injury.
Copyright© 1999 Reuters Limited.
