A5026873025- Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Robot Manipulation and Learning
- Motor Control and Adaptation
- Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Teleoperation and Haptic Systems
- Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics
- Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Gaze Tracking and Assistive Technology
- Hand Gesture Recognition Systems
- Social Robot Interaction and HRI
- Soft Robotics and Applications
- Nerve Injury and Rehabilitation
- Action Observation and Synchronization
- Biomedical Ethics and Regulation
- Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Mechanics and Biomechanics Studies
- Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
- Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Organ and Tissue Transplantation Research
- Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
2015-2024
University of Ferrara
2024
Center for Micro-BioRobotics
2018-2022
Piaggio Aerospace (Italy)
2010-2019
Piaggio (Italy)
2015-2018
Ospedale Versilia
2018
A multigrasp, bidirectional hand prosthesis delivers dynamic sensory feedback, allowing a user with amputation to achieve fine grasping force control and realistic object sensing.
Prosthetic components and control interfaces for upper limb amputees have barely changed in the past 40 years. Many transradial prostheses been developed past, nonetheless most of them would be inappropriate if/when a large bandwidth human-machine interface perception available, due to either their limited (or inexistent) sensorization or dexterity. SmartHand tackles this issue as is meant clinically experimented employing different neuro-interfaces, order investigate effectiveness. This...
Bionic hand provides accurate tactile and position information leads to improved performance during sensing tasks.
A real-time pattern recognition algorithm based on k-nearest neighbors and lazy learning was used to classify, voluntary electromyography (EMG) signals simultaneously control movements of a dexterous artificial hand. EMG were superficially recorded by eight pairs electrodes from the stumps five transradial amputees forearms able-bodied participants online robot Seven finger (not involving wrist) investigated in this study. The first objective understand whether which extent it is possible...
Human grasping and manipulation control critically depends on tactile feedback. Without this feedback, the ability for fine of a prosthesis is limited in upper limb amputees. Although various approaches have been investigated past, at present there no commercially available device able to restore feedback Based Discrete Event-driven Sensory Control (DESC) policy we deliver short-lasting vibrotactile transradial amputees using myoelectric hands. The (DESC-glove) comprises sensorized thimbles...
Objective Hand amputation is a highly disabling event, which significantly affects quality of life. An effective hand replacement can be achieved if the user, in addition to motor functions, provided with sensations that are naturally perceived while grasping and moving. Intraneural peripheral electrodes have shown promising results toward restoration sense touch. However, long‐term usability clinical relevance intraneural sensory feedback not yet been clearly demonstrated. Methods To this...
This work assesses the ability of transradial amputees to discriminate multi-site tactile stimuli in sensory discrimination tasks. It compares different feedback modalities using an artificial hand prosthesis in: 1) a modality matched paradigm where pressure recorded on five fingertips was fed back as stimulation target points residual limb; and 2) mismatched pressures were transformed into mechanical vibrations back. Eight took part study divided two groups based integrity their phantom...
Building prostheses with dexterous motor function equivalent to that of the human hand is one ambitious goals bioengineers. State art lack several degrees freedom (DoF) and force individuals compensate for them by changing motions their arms body. However, such compensatory movements often result in residual limb pain overuse syndromes. Significant efforts were spent designing artificial hands multiple allowed grasps but little work has been done regards wrist design, regardless fact...
Dexterous prosthetic hands that were developed recently, such as SmartHand and i-LIMB, are highly sophisticated; they have individually controllable fingers the thumb is able to abduct/adduct. This flexibility allows implementation of many different grasping strategies, but also requires new control algorithms can exploit degrees freedom available. The current study presents tests operation a method for dexterous hands. central component proposed an autonomous controller comprising vision...
SUMMARY This paper presents the requirements, design criteria and methodology used to develop of a new self-contained prosthetic hand be by transradial amputees. The is based on users' needs, authors background knowledge state art, feasible fabrication technology with aim replicating as much possible functionality human hand. focuses approach which divided into three steps: (i) mechanical actuation units, distribution; (ii) mechatronic development finally (iii) controller architecture...
A 2 × array of four microelectromechanical system (MEMS) tactile microsensors is integrated with readout electronics in the distal phalanx an anthropomorphic robotic finger. total 16 sensing elements are available a 22.3-mm area (i.e., 72 units/cm ) artificial finger, thus achieving density comparable human Merkel mechanoreceptors. The MEMS covered by polymeric packaging biomimetic fingerprints enhancing sensitivity roughness encoding. This paper shows ability sensor to encode for...
The replacement of a missing hand by prosthesis is one the most fascinating challenges in rehabilitation engineering. State art prostheses are curtailed physical features hand, like poor functionality and excessive weight. Here we present new multi-grasp aimed at overcoming such limitations. SSSA-MyHand builds around novel transmission mechanism that implements semi-independent actuation abduction/adduction thumb flexion/extension index, means single actuator. Thus, with only three electric...
Recent studies have shown that direct nerve stimulation can be used to provide sensory feedback hand amputees. The intensity of the elicited sensations modulated using amplitude or frequency injected stimuli. However, a comprehensive comparison effects these two encoding strategies on amputees' ability control prosthesis has not been performed. In this paper, we assessed performance trans-radial amputees controlling myoelectric while receiving grip force encoded either linear modulation...
The human hand is capable of performing countless grasps and gestures that are the basis for social activities. However, which contribute most to manipulation skills needed during collaborative tasks, thus should be included in a robot companion, still an open issue. Here, we investigated grasp choice placement on objects handover when subsequent tasks performed by receiver in-hand bimanual not allowed. Our findings suggest that, this scenario, passers favor precision such handovers. Passers...
Objective. Tactile afferents in the human hand provide fundamental information about hand-environment interactions, which is used by brain to adapt motor output physical properties of object being manipulated. A amputation disrupts both afferent and efferent pathways from/to hand, completely invalidating individual's repertoire. Although functions may be partially recovered using a myoelectric prosthesis, providing functionally effective sensory feedback users prosthetics largely unsolved...
Restoration of sensorimotor function after amputation has remained challenging because the lack human-machine interfaces that provide reliable control, feedback, and attachment. Here, we present clinical implementation a transradial neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis-a bionic hand connected directly to user's nervous skeletal systems. In one person with unilateral below-elbow amputation, titanium implants were placed intramedullary in radius ulna bones, electromuscular constructs created...
Abstract Conventional prosthetic arms suffer from poor controllability and lack of sensory feedback. Owing to the absence tactile information, users must rely on incidental visual auditory cues. In this study, we investigated effect providing perception motor coordination during routine grasping under uncertainty. Three transhumeral amputees were implanted with an osseointegrated percutaneous implant system for direct skeletal attachment bidirectional communication neuromuscular electrodes....
Replacement of a lost limb by an artificial substitute is not yet ideal. Resolution and coordination motor control approximating that biological could dramatically improve the functionality prosthetic devices, thus reduce gap towards suitable replacement. In this study, we investigated resolution exhibited subjects with transhumeral amputation who were implanted epimysial electrodes osseointegrated interface provides bidirectional communication in addition to skeletal attachment (e-OPRA...
Upper limb amputation deprives individuals of their innate ability to manipulate objects. Such disability can be restored with a robotic prosthesis linked the brain by human-machine interface (HMI) capable decoding voluntary intentions, and sending motor commands prosthesis. Clinical or research HMIs rely on interpretation electrophysiological signals recorded from muscles. However, quest for an HMI that allows arbitrary physiologically appropriate control dexterous prostheses, is far being...
Providing somatosensory feedback to amputees is a long-standing objective in prosthesis research. Recently, implantable neural interfaces have yielded promising results this direction. There now considerable evidence that the nervous system integrates redundant signals optimally, weighting each signal according its reliability. One question of interest whether artificial sensory combined with other information natural manner. In single-case study, we show an amputee bidirectional integrated...
The loss of an arm presents a substantial challenge for upper limb amputees when performing activities daily living. Myoelectric prosthetic devices partially replace lost hand functions; however, lack sensory feedback and strong understanding the myoelectric control system prevent prosthesis users from interacting with their environment effectively. Although most research in augmented has focused on real-time regulation, is also essential enabling development correction internal models,...