Bio-Inspired Multi-Mode Pain-Perceptual System (MMPPS) with Noxious Stimuli Warning, Damage Localization, and Enhanced Damage Protection.

The multi-mode pain-perceptual system (MMPPS) is essential for the human body to perceive noxious stimuli in all circumstances and make an appropriate reaction. Based on the central sensitization mechanism, the MMPPS can switch between different working modes and thus offers a smarter protection mechanism to human body. Accordingly, before injury MMPPS can offer warning of excessive pressure with normal pressure threshold. After injury, extra care on the periphery of damage will be activated by decreasing the pressure threshold. Furthermore, the MMPPS will gradually recover back to a normal state as damage heals. Although current devices can realize basic functions like damage localization and nociceptor signal imitating, the development of a human-like MMPPS is still a great challenge. Here, a bio-inspired MMPPS is developed for prosthetics protection, in which all working modes is realized and controlled by mimicking the central sensitization mechanism. Accordingly, the system warns one of a potential injury, identifies the damaged area, and subsequently offers extra care. The proposed system can open new avenues for designing next-generation prosthetics, especially make other smart sensing systems operate under complete protection against injuries.