I make the argument that 'some' of the sensory experience must be available and that interaction with the real world is crucial. To your point about Ms. Keller, I have used this example myself as to why robotics should focus more on the sensation of touch and it's why I commissioned the development of a low-cost etextile robotic skin from a brilliant designer/engineer at MIT. That project (rSkin) can be found here (http://www.instructables.com/id/rSkin-Open-Source-Robot-Skin...)