Recent advancements in technology have revolutionized the world of assistive and medical tools, and prosthetic limbs are no exception. We’ve come a long way from the rigid, purely cosmetic prosthetics of the past. Today, we’re seeing the rise of softer, more realistic designs, many incorporating robotic components that significantly expand their functionality. But despite these exciting developments, a major challenge remains: how do we make these robotic limbs easier and more intuitive for users to control?
Credit: Science Robotics
The control problem: A barrier to real-world use
Think about it – a highly advanced prosthetic hand is only as good as the user’s ability to control it. If the control system is clunky or difficult to learn, it limits the prosthetic’s effectiveness and ultimately impacts the user’s quality of life. Most commercially available robotic limbs still struggle with this issue.
Credit: Science Robotics
SOFT ROBOTIC ARMBAND GIVES PROSTHETIC HAND USERS NATURAL CONTROL
A breakthrough from IIT and Imperial College London
Now, researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Imperial College London have unveiled a promising solution: a new soft prosthetic hand designed for more intuitive control. Their work, published in Science Robotics, introduces a novel control approach that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.
Credit: Science Robotics
NEW PROSTHETICS RESTORE NATURAL MOVEMENT VIA NERVE CONNECTION
Decoding the body’s natural hand movements
So, how does it work? Let’s break it down. When we perform everyday tasks, our fingers move in coordinated patterns called “postural synergies.” These synergies are fundamental to how we grasp and manipulate objects. The team, led by Antonio Bicchi and Dario Farina, developed a method that integrates these postural synergies with the analysis of electrical signals from the nervous system. By decoding the activity of spinal motoneurons (the nerve cells that control muscle movement), they can predict the hand movements a user intends to make. This information is then used to control the prosthetic hand.
Credit: Science Robotics
BREAKTHROUGH PROSTHETIC FINGERS REVOLUTIONIZE THE LIVES OF AMPUTEES
Soft materials, smart design
The hand itself is an impressive feat of engineering, combining soft materials for the skin, tendons, and ligaments with rigid materials for the “bones.” According to Bicchi, the artificial bones “roll on top of each other, instead of turning around pins such as robot hands normally do.” This, along with the tendon arrangement, allows the hand to adapt to the shape of objects, mimicking the natural, intelligent grasping behavior of a human hand. One of the most exciting features of this new prosthetic hand is its ability to perform in-hand manipulation. This means users can not only grasp an object but also adjust their grip and move the object within their hand – imagine being able to open a water bottle using only your prosthetic hand.
Credit: Science Robotics
Promising results in initial trials
The researchers put their creation to the test with both able-bodied participants and individuals with prosthetic needs. The results were encouraging, showing that the hand allowed users to perform complex movements and manipulate objects with greater precision and naturalness compared to other prosthetic hands. The tests showed that combined neural and postural synergies allowed accurate and natural control of coordinated multidigit actions, achieving over 90% of the continuous mechanical manifold, and the target hit rate for specific hand postures was higher with neural synergies compared with muscle synergies.
Credit: Science Robotics
The future of prosthetics is looking softer and smarter
This innovative soft prosthetic hand represents a significant step forward in the field. The control approach and design principles developed by the IIT and Imperial College London team could pave the way for more advanced prosthetic limbs in the future. While further refinement and clinical trials are needed, this technology holds immense potential to improve the lives of individuals with limb loss.
Credit: Science Robotics
Kurt’s key takeaways
This research highlights the importance of mimicking the body’s natural mechanisms when designing prosthetics. By combining soft robotics with advanced neural decoding, scientists are creating prosthetic limbs that are not only functional but also intuitive and natural to use. This could truly revolutionize the field and empower users to regain lost abilities and improve their quality of life.
If you or someone you know could benefit from this type of technology, what specific tasks or activities would it enable them to do? Let us know in the comments below.
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