Positive Technology Journal - neurotechnology_neuroinformatics

Smart Sensors Help Improve Prostheses Personalization

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:30:00 +0100

Press release: Sensitive fitting process for leg prostheses

When fitting a leg prosthesis on a patient, clinicians typically have to use a gait laboratory to analyze patient's natural steps. The problem is that only one or two steps can be recorded by the lab, which provides too little information for a comprehensive fitting. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig, Germany have developed a sensor system that fits into a prosthesis for a more long term analysis.

The adapter measures 4 x 4 x 3 centimeters and sits at the ankle joint or above the knee. It measure the applied forces in three spatial dimensions and three torque moments. A miniature data logger near the sensor reads out the data and stores them. “This adapter makes it possible to continuously measure the load on a leg prosthesis during different routine activities throughout an entire day,” says IST team leader Dr. Ralf Bandorf. The adapter has eight measuring bridges, each with four strain gauges. These consist of a sputtered insulating layer covered with a metal film. When the patient walks, the layer stretches according to the type of movement performed, and this changes the electrical resistance of the metal film. The 32 strain gauges are placed at a number of different points and in different orientations, so the data provide a complete picture of the load acting on the prosthesis. Strain gauges used in sensor systems normally consist of adhesive films, but in this case the layers are sputtered directly onto the surface. This means they can also be applied to the complex geometries of the adapter, for instance its edges, which would be difficult in the case of adhesive films. Moreover, the film is insensitive to moisture and does not require the use of adhesives.
“The main challenge was to design a suitable geometry for the adapter,” says Dr. Ralf Bandorf. It mustn’t be too large, as there is only limited space available inside the prosthesis, but it has to be large enough to accommodate the strain gauges. The developers are already testing a prototype of the adapter on the first patients, and will present it at the Hannover Messe from April 20 to 24.

Tweaking Your Neurons

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:09:00 +0200

This interesting article, recently appeared in hplusmagazine, reviews the emerging trends in "neuroenhancement"

http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/neuro/tweaking-your-neurons

Neuroscience and the military: ethical implications of war neurotechnologies

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:13:00 +0200

Super soldiers equipped with neural implants, suits that contain biosensors, and thought scans of detainees may become reality sooner than you think.

In this video taken from the show "Conversations from Penn State", Jonathan Moreno discusses the ethical implications of the applications of neuroscience in modern warfare.

Moreno is David and Lyn Silfen professor and professor of medical ethics and the history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania and was formerly the director of the Center for Ethics at the University of Virginia. He has served as senior staff member for two presidential commissions and is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Thought-controlled wheelchairs

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:35:16 +0200

Via Sentient Development

The BSI-Toyota Collaboration Center (BTCC) is developing a wheelchair that can be navigated in real-time with brain waves. The brain-controlled device can adjust itself to the characteristics of each individual user, thereby improving the efficiency with which it senses the driver's commands. That way, the driver is able to get the system to learn his/her commands (forward/right/left) quickly and efficiently; the system boasts an accuracy rate of 95%.

The development of personalised cognitive prosthetics

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:03:26 +0100

The development of personalised cognitive prosthetics.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2008;1:787-90

Authors: Nugent CD, Davies RJ, Donnelly MP, Hallberg J, Hariz M, Craig D, Meiland F, Moelaert F, Bengtsson JE, Savenstedt S, Mulvenna M, Droes RM

Persons suffering from mild dementia can benefit from a form of cognitive prosthetic which can be used to assist them with their day to day activities. Within our current work we are aiming to develop a successful user-validated cognitive prosthetic for persons with mild dementia. We have devised a three phased waterfall methodology to support our developments. Based on the evaluation of the first of these phases which involved the processes of user requirements gathering, prototype development and evaluation of in situ deployment of the technology we have been able to guide the technical development within the second phase of our work. Within this paper we provide an overview of the first phase of our methodology and demonstrate how we have used the results from this to guide the second phase of our work, especially with regards to the notion of personalisation.

The development of brain-machine interface neuroprosthetic devices

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:29:02 +0200

The development of brain-machine interface neuroprosthetic devices.

Neurotherapeutics. 2008 Jan;5(1):137-46

Authors: Patil PG, Turner DA

The development of brain-machine interface technology is a logical next step in the overall direction of neuroprosthetics. Many of the required technological advances that will be required for clinical translation of brain-machine interfaces are already under development, including a new generation of recording electrodes, the decoding and interpretation of signals underlying intention and planning, actuators for implementation of mental plans in virtual or real contexts, direct somatosensory feedback to the nervous system to refine actions, and training to encourage plasticity in neural circuits. Although pre-clinical studies in nonhuman primates demonstrate high efficacy in a realistic motor task with motor cortical recordings, there are many challenges in the clinical translation of even simple tasks and devices. Foremost among these challenges is the development of biocompatible electrodes capable of long-term, stable recording of brain activity and implantable amplifiers and signal processors that are sufficiently resistant to noise and artifact to faithfully transmit recorded signals to the external environment. Whether there is a suitable market for such new technology depends on its efficacy in restoring and enhancing neural function, its risks of implantation, and its long-term efficacy and usefulness. Now is a critical time in brain-machine interface development because most ongoing studies are science-based and noncommercial, allowing new approaches to be included in commercial schemes under development.

IEEE Spectrum Online reports on prosthethic arm development

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:45:19 +0100

Via SentientDevelopment

IEEE Spectrum Online has a special report on the current state of prosthethic arm development, including the latest on Dean Kamen's "Luke Arm" which is being funded by DARPA. There's also an amazing video showing the arm in action.

Prosthetic Limbs That Can Feel

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:29:05 +0100

Via KurzweilAI.net

Researchers at Northwestern University, in Chicago, have shown that transplanting the nerves from an amputated hand to the chest allows patients to feel hand sensation there.

The findings are the first step toward prosthetic arms with sensors on the fingers that will transfer tactile information from the device to the chest, making the wearer feel as though he or she has a real hand.

Full article here

DARPA next generation prosthetic arm

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0200

The Boston Globe has an article by Scott Kirsner about the next generation of prosthetic limbs under development at DARPA

From the article:

Without any covering to emulate human skin - what those in the prosthetics field call a "cosmesis" - the arm is distinctly robotic, all metal cylinders and dark gray carbon fiber. I held out my index finger, and Van Der Merwe manipulated the arm so that the index finger and thumb grabbed my fingertip and squeezed lightly. Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound. "That's a sensor in the fingers letting me know how hard I'm squeezing," Van Der Merwe explained. A few minutes later, when I shook hands, the grip was firm (if not warm), and Van Der Merwe chided me for not shaking more vigorously. I didn't want to break the hand and get on the Pentagon's bad side

Check the video

Intraspinal stimulation for bladder voiding in cats

noreply@blogspirit.com (Andrea Gaggioli) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:01:44 +0200

Neural engineers at Huntington Medical Research Institutes were able to use chronically implanted neuroprosthetic device inside the spinal cord. The device, consisting of an array of micrometer-sized spiny electrodes, was used to treat bladder paralysis in spinal cord-injured animals. The electrodes were located throughout the spinal cord tissue, and stimulation near the middle of the cord in the area called the dorsal gray commissure was most effective in inducing a bladder voiding reflex. Unlike the previously-used approaches of stimulating spinal roots or nerves which contain mixed fibers innervating multiple organs, the intraspinal stimulation was shown to be very specific and induced near-complete bladder emptying.

The article is coming out in the December issue of Journal of Neural Engineering and is available online at http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1741-2552/4/4/002/