Dear Professor Petkova,
at first glance the phenomena mentioned in your paper appears to have no survival utility from an Evolutionary perspective. However the utility of the mirror neuron system with respect to feelings of empathy and 'theory of mind' are well known.

It appears to me that the initial redirection of sensation is mediated by some mechanism utilising Mirror Neurons that, under particular conditions, can cause the rubber hand and other similar illusions.

If this is so then novel illusions should also be possible. For instance a three armed dummy where the extra arm has a central position should cause an illusion whereby pricking the dummy's right hand and the subject's right hand together cause a transfer of subjective experience, similarly for the left, but when the central hand is pricked and both the subject's hands are pricked they should feel a third arm similar to the dummy's.

Kind Regards
Robert Karl Stonjek