A bionic arm that combines intuitive motor control, touch and grip will allow amputees to feel the sensation of feeling objects, say its developers.
It is the first prosthetic member capable of testing all the key functions of one hand at a time and using a brain-computer interface to activate the interaction.
Principal Investigator Paul Marasco, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said test subjects felt one of their hands move, even though they had no hand, and felt as if their fingers were touching things, even though they had no fingers. .
Combining touch, grip, and motor control worked to trick the wearer’s senses and brain into making the prosthesis a real human hand, Professor Marasco said.
It is related to the nerves in the limbs that send impulses from the patient’s brain to the prosthesis when they want to use or move it, and the arm receives physical information from the environment through sensors and sends it to the brain through the nerves. .
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A bionic arm that combines intuitive motor control, touch and grip will allow amputees to feel the sensation of feeling objects, according to its developers.
It is the first prosthetic member capable of testing all the key functions of one hand at a time and using a brain-computer interface to activate the interaction.
The American team began with a standard care prosthetic arm, which was equipped with its new complex bionic system.
Tests performed on volunteers showed that users could move the prosthesis arm more intuitively and feel sensations of touch and movement at the same time.
Two-way communication, between brain sensors and arms, allowed volunteers to perform a series of tasks similar to those of a non-amputee, they found.
“These findings are an important step toward providing people with amputation with the complete restoration of the natural function of the arm,” Professor Marasco said.
“Perhaps what thrilled us to know is that they made judgments, decisions, and calculated and corrected their mistakes as a person without amputation,” the bionics specialist added.
“With the new bionic limb, people behaved as if they had a natural hand. Normally, these brain behaviors are very different between people with and without upper limb prostheses.
It was tested in two individuals in the study with amputations of arms that had previously undergone directed motor and sensory re-innervation.
The procedures establish a neural-machine interface by redirecting the amputated nerves to the skin and the remaining muscles.
When they thought about moving the limbs, the re-innervated muscles communicated with a computerized prosthesis to move in the same way.
Powerful machines also made kinesthetic sensory receptors vibrate in the muscles themselves, which led them to “feel” that the hand and arm were moving.
Both participants were able to perform basic daily tasks that required hands and arms with the prosthesis, including picking up and using cups, bottles, and pegs to grab a pen and write with it.
Principal Investigator Paul Marasco, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said test subjects felt one of their hands move, even though they had no hand, and felt as if their fingers were touching things, even though they had no fingers.
One of the volunteers, Claudia Mitchell, 41, said about the sensation of using a smartphone with her arm: “When I lean back I touch my‘ finger ’,‘ adding ’I can actually say which I can hear it.
Mitchell, who lives in Arkansas, said the new arm has made a “huge difference” in her life, with daily activities open to her, including cutting a peach.
The U.S. Navy veteran lost her left arm to her shoulder in a 2004 motorcycle accident. She said she can now grab a skillfully made makeup bag with her thumb and forefinger, and feel an object and know how far it catches it.
Putting the touch, grip, and control of the motor together worked to trick the senses and the brain of the wearer into thinking the prosthesis was a real human hand, Professor Marasco said.
She said, “They were activities I once thought would never be possible again.”
Its custom prosthesis is equipped with a powerful computerized robotic touch system that allows you to feel and move as if it came from the missing hand. His brain interprets his arm as his own.
Advanced assessment tools showed that the performances of the volunteers were better than those with amputations using traditional prosthetic devices.
The other participant was Forest Ranger Rob Anderson, 43, of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada.
Because people with traditional prostheses cannot feel their limbs, they behave differently from those without amputation while completing daily tasks.
For example, they have to constantly monitor the device while using it, Professor Marasco explained, and struggle to learn how to correct mistakes when applying force.
With the new artificial arm, researchers were able to see the brains and behavioral strategies of couples changed to match those of a person without amputation.
They no longer needed to monitor the prosthesis, they could find things without looking and correct errors more effectively.
Professor Marasco said: “Over the last decade or two, advances in prosthetics have helped users achieve better functionality and manage daily life on their own.
Its custom prosthesis is equipped with a powerful computerized robotic touch system that allows you to feel and move as if it came from the missing hand. His brain interprets his arm as his own
“For the first time, people with upper limb amputations can now rethink ‘as a person with ability, which will offer prosthetic users new levels of trouble-free reintegration into everyday life.”
The analysis in Science Robotics can be applied to any prosthesis or upper limb deficit that involves sensation and movement.
Professor Marasco said, “We really built the system using a free prosthesis as a base,” and then we added in high-level computer, touch, and motion sensors.
“When you look at the tip, it really looks like any other,” he said, adding, “It can’t be said that there is a highly sophisticated, computerized communication and feedback system that runs inside.” .
The findings have been published in the journal Science Robotics.