Amputees can use the new technology to control a robotic arm with their minds. (Image Credit: Neuroelectronics Lab, University of Minnesota)
Amputees around the world often face some obstacles when it comes to prosthetics controlled by muscles. Even then, high-quality parts are bulky, have a complicated design, and take patients months of training just to properly move the arm around. University of Minnesota researchers are introducing new technology that allows an amputee to use a mind-controlled prosthetic robotic arm, helping to overcome the issues they currently face.
The team developed a neuroprosthetic hand featuring a small implant that attaches to the peripheral nerve on the arm. They deployed the robotic hand with machine learning and artificial intelligence, allowing it to read and interpret brain signals so that the wearer can control the device with their thoughts.
“It’s a lot more intuitive than any commercial system out there,” said Jules Anh Tuan Nguyen, a postdoctoral researcher and University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumnus. “With other commercial prosthetic systems, when amputees want to move a finger, they don’t actually think about moving a finger. They’re trying to activate the muscles in their arm since that’s what the system reads. Our technology knows the patient’s intention. If they want to move a finger, all they have to do is think about moving that finger.”
Compared to other technologies, this system uses AI to interpret signals from the nerve, allowing the implant to operate as a neural decoder. So when the wearer thinks about moving their hand, the decoder detects these brain signals, causing the robotic arm to move in that manner.
This system also differs from Benjamin Choi’s homemade prosthetic, which relies on two sensors to measure brain electrical activity. The data is transmitted to the arm, which also uses AI to move. His AI, integrated on a chip, can perform with 95% accuracy and contains 978 math pages, 23,000 lines of code, and seven new sub-algorithms.
“Artificial intelligence has the tremendous capability to help explain a lot of relationships,” said Zhi Yang, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. “This technology allows us to record human data, nerve data, accurately. With that kind of nerve data, the AI system can fill in the gaps and determine what’s going on. That’s a really big thing, to be able to combine this new chip technology with AI. It can help answer a lot of questions we couldn’t answer before.”
The team also says the technology can be used by those dealing with neurological disorders and chronic pain. Yang envisions a future without invasive brain surgeries and where peripheral nerves can supply the brain signals. However, the system currently relies on a wired connection between the skin and the external AI interface. Remotely connecting the chip to a computer would make it possible for humans to control a car or phone with their thoughts.
“Some of these things are actually happening. A lot of research is moving from what’s in the so-called ‘fantasy’ category into the scientific category,” Yang said. “This technology was designed for amputees for sure, but if you talk about its true potential, this could be applicable to all of us.”
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