(Press-News.org) For an amputee, replacing a missing limb with a functional prosthetic can alleviate physical or emotional
distress and mean a return of vocational ability or cosmetics. Studies show, however, that up to 50 percent of
hand amputees still do not use their prosthesis regularly due to less than ideal functionality, appearance, and
controllability.
But Silvestro Micera, of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, is paving the way
for new, smart prosthetics that connect directly to the nervous system. The benefits are more versatile prosthetics
with intuitive motor control and realistic sensory feedback—in essence, they could one day return dexterity
and the sensation of touch to an amputee.
At the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston,
Micera reports the results of previous work conducting a four-week clinical trial that improved sensory feedback
in amputees by using intraneural electrodes implanted into the median and ulnar nerves. This interface
holds great promise because of its ability to create an intimate and natural connection with the nerves, and
because it is less invasive than other methods. It also provides fast, intuitive, bidirectional flow of information
between the nervous system and the prosthetic, resulting in a more realistic experience and ultimately
improved function.
"We could be on the cusp of providing new and more effective clinical solutions to amputees in the next years,"
says Micera, who is Head of the Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory at EPFL and Professor at the
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy.
Micera and colleagues tested their system by implanting intraneural electrodes into the nerves of an amputee.
The electrodes stimulated the sensory peripheral system, delivering different types of touch feelings. Then the
researchers analyzed the motor neural signals recorded from the nerves and showed that information related
to grasping could indeed be extracted. That information was then used to control a hand prosthesis placed near
the subject but not physically attached to the arm of the amputee.
At AAAS in Boston, Micera also describes his recent activities to improve the efficacy of this approach and announces
a new clinical trial starting soon as part of the Italian Ministry of Health's NEMESIS project, under the
clinical supervision of Prof. Paolo M. Rossini. This new trial carries this research a step further by connecting
the prosthetic hand directly to the patient for the first real-time, bidirectional control using peripheral neural
signals. Though results are not yet available, the researchers hope to find still further improvement in the sensory
feedback and overall control of the prosthetics with this new method.
###
More information:
Researcher Contact: Professor Dr. Silvestro Micera
silvestro.micera@epfl.ch
Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory: http://tne.epfl.ch/
Press Kit:
http://bit.ly/XeJdIo
Links:
http://AAAS.epfl.ch
TIME project: http://www.project-time.eu/
About EPFL:
With over 350 laboratories and research groups on campus, EPFL is one of Europe's most innovative and productive
scientific institutions. Ranked top 3 in Europe and top 20 worldwide in many scientific rankings, EPFL
has attracted the best researchers in their fields.
The institute's unique structure fosters trans-disciplinary research and promotes partnerships with other institutions.
It continuously combines fundamental research and engineering.
http://information.epfl.ch/glance
The quest for a better bionic hand
2013-02-18
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