Communications of the ACM
Mind-Controlled Prostheses That 'Feel' for Real
Researchers have developed mind-controlled arm prostheses that several amputees already are using.
Credit: Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)
Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, and Integrum AB collaborated with colleagues at Austria's Medical University of Vienna and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop mind-controlled arm prostheses that several amputees have used in their everyday lives for years.
These prostheses, attached to the bone and controlled by electrodes implanted in nerves and muscles, function with much greater precision than conventional prostheses.
Users perceive tactile sensations as arising from the missing limb, with the sense of touch facilitated by stimulation of the nerves that used to be connected to the hand.
Force sensors in the prosthesis' thumb measure contact and pressure applied to an object while grasping, which is sent to the nerves leading to the brain.
An embedded control system fits within the prosthesis, using refined artificial intelligence algorithms to control movement.
From Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)
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Abstracts Copyright © 2020 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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