Capable of moving in some 20 independent ways, it contains about
20 muscles and 20 nerve types and is operated by another 20
muscles in the forearm. Indeed, the instrument is so complex
that only recently have engineers developed affordable machines
with enough sensors, actuators and computing power to study it
in detail.  As a result, researchers still know relatively
little about such basic functions as how a fingerpad receives
tactile information and routes those data to the brain. A better
understanding of how the hand works, however, could aid the
diagnosis and treatment of conditions like carpal tunnel
syndrome. More data are also key to robotic hands, and to
software that allows us to touch and feel virtual objects
generated by a computer.  Introducing MIT's Touch Lab. In
addition to exploring the basic science behind the hand, its
scientists are applying their results to high-tech systems like
virtual reality for surgical simulations in which the user can
"see, touch and feel" the tissues involved. An