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Prosthetic hands with a sense of touch? 'Sensory feedback' from artificial limbs
Researchers are exploring new approaches to designing prosthetic hands capable of providing "sensory feedback." Advances toward developing prostheses with a sense of touch are presented in a special topic article in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®.
Emerging sensory feedback techniques will provide some sensation and enable more natural, intuitive use of hand prostheses, according to the review by ASPS Member Surgeon Paul S. Cederna, MD, of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues. They write, "These breakthroughs pave the way to the development of a prosthetic limb with the ability to feel."
'Nerve Interfaces' May Allow Feeling in Prosthetic Hands
Upper limb loss is a "particularly devastating" form of amputation, since "a person's hands are their tools for everyday function, expressive communication, and other uniquely human attributes," according to Dr. Cederna and coauthors. The functional, psychological, economic, and social impact is even greater since most upper limb amputations occur in young, otherwise healthy individuals.
Current robotic prostheses approach the fine dexterity provided by the human hand -- but these advances have outpaced developments in providing sensory feedback from artificial limb. "The lack of sensation…is the key limitation to reestablishing the full functionality of the natural limb," Dr. Cederna and colleagues write.
Providing some sense of touch to the artificial hand would lessen the "cognitive burden" of relying solely on vision to initiate and monitor movements -- while also providing "tremendous psychological benefits" for patients. The review focuses on recent and emerging technologies to create "sensory interfaces" with the peripheral nerves to provide feeling to prostheses.
Already in use is a technique called sensory substitution, in which one type of sensation is substituted for another. For example, vibration applied to skin on the remaining limb, or to another part of the body, is used to convey touch from sensors on the prosthesis.
Other techniques use various types of implanted neural interfaces -- electrodes placed in or around the nerves -- which are stimulated by sensors on the prosthesis. These direct neural stimulation approaches show promise in enabling patients to feel object characteristics such as stiffness, shape, and size, or to control fine-motor movements without visual cues.
A promising newer technique is targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), in which nerves are transferred to provide sensation to intact muscles and overlying skin. Originally developed to improve control of the prosthesis, TMR approaches are being studied to elicit sensory feedback from the prostheses.
Experimental approaches seek to avoid the need for nerve electrodes. The authors' lab is working on a technique called the sensory regenerative peripheral nerve interface (sRPNI), in which a "bioartificial interface" transfers sensory signals directly from a prosthetic sensor to the remaining nerve.
Another "next generation" approach is the use of optogenetic technology to control nerve signaling using specific light wavelengths. Although studied only in animals so far, optogenetics offers a "compelling alternative" to direct electrical stimulation of nerves.
Dr. Cederna and coauthors write, "The ultimate goal is to develop a prosthesis that closely mimics the natural limb, both in its ability to perform complex motor commands and to elicit conscious sensation." While many research challenges remain to be met, they believe that newer techniques like TMR, sRPNI, and optogenetics "represent the wave of the future, paving the way to more intuitive prosthetic control through sensory feedback."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150529112005.htm
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Founded by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov in February 2011 with the participation of leading Russian specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems.
The main goals of the 2045 Initiative: the creation and realization of a new strategy for the development of humanity which meets global civilization challenges; the creation of optimale conditions promoting the spiritual enlightenment of humanity; and the realization of a new futuristic reality based on 5 principles: high spirituality, high culture, high ethics, high science and high technologies.
The main science mega-project of the 2045 Initiative aims to create technologies enabling the transfer of a individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. We devote particular attention to enabling the fullest possible dialogue between the world’s major spiritual traditions, science and society.
A large-scale transformation of humanity, comparable to some of the major spiritual and sci-tech revolutions in history, will require a new strategy. We believe this to be necessary to overcome existing crises, which threaten our planetary habitat and the continued existence of humanity as a species. With the 2045 Initiative, we hope to realize a new strategy for humanity's development, and in so doing, create a more productive, fulfilling, and satisfying future.
The "2045" team is working towards creating an international research center where leading scientists will be engaged in research and development in the fields of anthropomorphic robotics, living systems modeling and brain and consciousness modeling with the goal of transferring one’s individual consciousness to an artificial carrier and achieving cybernetic immortality.
An annual congress "The Global Future 2045" is organized by the Initiative to give platform for discussing mankind's evolutionary strategy based on technologies of cybernetic immortality as well as the possible impact of such technologies on global society, politics and economies of the future.
Future prospects of "2045" Initiative for society
2015-2020
The emergence and widespread use of affordable android "avatars" controlled by a "brain-computer" interface. Coupled with related technologies “avatars’ will give people a number of new features: ability to work in dangerous environments, perform rescue operations, travel in extreme situations etc.
Avatar components will be used in medicine for the rehabilitation of fully or partially disabled patients giving them prosthetic limbs or recover lost senses.
2020-2025
Creation of an autonomous life-support system for the human brain linked to a robot, ‘avatar’, will save people whose body is completely worn out or irreversibly damaged. Any patient with an intact brain will be able to return to a fully functioning bodily life. Such technologies will greatly enlarge the possibility of hybrid bio-electronic devices, thus creating a new IT revolution and will make all kinds of superimpositions of electronic and biological systems possible.
2030-2035
Creation of a computer model of the brain and human consciousness with the subsequent development of means to transfer individual consciousness onto an artificial carrier. This development will profoundly change the world, it will not only give everyone the possibility of cybernetic immortality but will also create a friendly artificial intelligence, expand human capabilities and provide opportunities for ordinary people to restore or modify their own brain multiple times. The final result at this stage can be a real revolution in the understanding of human nature that will completely change the human and technical prospects for humanity.
2045
This is the time when substance-independent minds will receive new bodies with capacities far exceeding those of ordinary humans. A new era for humanity will arrive! Changes will occur in all spheres of human activity – energy generation, transportation, politics, medicine, psychology, sciences, and so on.
Today it is hard to imagine a future when bodies consisting of nanorobots will become affordable and capable of taking any form. It is also hard to imagine body holograms featuring controlled matter. One thing is clear however: humanity, for the first time in its history, will make a fully managed evolutionary transition and eventually become a new species. Moreover, prerequisites for a large-scale expansion into outer space will be created as well.
Key elements of the project in the future
• International social movement
• social network immortal.me
• charitable foundation "Global Future 2045" (Foundation 2045)
• scientific research centre "Immortality"
• business incubator
• University of "Immortality"
• annual award for contribution to the realization of the project of "Immortality”.
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