Articles tagged with Prosthetic Limbs
A new breath-driven hand prosthesis offers a lightweight, low-maintenance option for children and those in low-resource settings. The device is powered by the user's breathing and provides simultaneous control and actuation, with minimal maintenance required.
A new 'joint avatar' study reveals that visual information predicting a partner's intentions significantly enhances sense of embodiment towards partner-controlled limbs during virtual co-embodiment. This finding may contribute to enhancing embodiment towards autonomous prosthetic limbs, reducing user discomfort related to lack of control.
Researchers have developed a new type of prosthetic using microfluidics-enabled soft robotics that promises to greatly reduce skin ulcerations and pain in patients who have had an amputation between the ankle and knee. The prosthesis uses integrated pneumatic actuators to control fit, reducing volume changes and pressure ulcers.
Researchers developed a soft robotic sleeve controlled with a microfluidic chip that reduces treatment cost, weight, and power consumption for lymphedema treatment. The device promotes fluid flow in the lymphatic system by sequentially inflating balloons and pushing fluid upwards.
Researchers developed a hybrid machine-learning approach combining CNN and LSTM to recognize complex hand gestures in prosthetic hands. The technique achieved far superior performance than traditional machine learning efforts, with an accuracy of over 80%, but struggled with certain pinching gestures.
A team of scientists at the University of Missouri used small wearable sensors to gather data on how people with a traumatic hand amputation use a prosthesis versus a transplanted hand. The study found that hand transplant recipients exhibit a more balanced pattern of limb use, while prosthesis users rely heavily on their prosthetic hand.
Researchers at Arizona State University studied the physics behind humans balancing coffee while walking, revealing a natural mode of flexibility that mimics human motion. The findings can be used to design smart robots to adaptively handle complex objects in changing environments.
Researchers created a bionic arm that combines intuitive motor control with touch and hand movement sensation, enabling wearers to think and behave like a person without an amputation. The system's bi-directional feedback and control allowed study participants to perform tasks with similar accuracy as non-disabled people.
Magnetomicrometry offers a new approach to controlling prosthetic limbs by measuring muscle length and speed, providing more precise control than existing methods. The technology involves inserting small magnetic beads into muscle tissue, which can be precisely measured within milliseconds.
Engineers at MIT have developed a soft, lightweight neuroprosthetic hand that enables amputees to perform daily activities with ease. The prosthetic features a system for tactile feedback, allowing users to feel sensations in their residual limb, and is potentially low-cost for low-income families.
Researchers evaluated low-cost 3D scanners for accuracy and repeatability in capturing residual limb shape. The study found that some devices matched expert clinician results while others showed significant variation.
Researchers at MIT have invented a new type of amputation surgery that reconnects muscle pairs, allowing patients to regain sensory feedback and control their residual muscles. This restored sense of proprioception translates to better control of prosthetic limbs and reduced limb pain.
Researchers created a textile-based sensor system to map problematic pressure points in prosthetic limbs, improving comfort and fit. The soft, flexible sensor patch can detect pressure changes in real-time, providing valuable insights for amputees.
Researchers have developed neurofeedback prostheses that restore sensory feedback to amputees, enabling them to perceive their prosthetic leg as lighter and reducing the effort required for walking. The study found a 23% reduction in perceived weight and improved motor-cognitive tasks, suggesting a more natural limb experience.
A new study on people with amputations using bionic hands for over a year found that the brain never shifted its perception of touch sensations to match the prosthetic thumb. The participants' brains persisted in perceiving the sensation in other locations, such as their middle finger or palm.
A team of researchers at SUTD and TTSH created a novel 3D printed non-metallic self-locking prosthetic arm that is more comfortable, flexible, and 20% cheaper than conventional prostheses. The patient's satisfaction with the new prosthesis was higher due to its improved fit, function, and comfort.
After a 5-year follow-up, bone-anchored leg prostheses show significant improvements in daily functioning, mobility, and quality of life for patients with above-knee amputations. Despite initial stoma problems, these prostheses lead to permanent benefits, including increased prosthesis use and improved health-related quality of life.
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh's Rehab Neural Engineering Labs has repurposed spinal cord stimulators to provide sensory feedback to amputees, generating sensations such as touch and pressure. The devices were found to be stable and effective in restoring feelings of touch in users.
Researchers developed a new robotic prosthetic leg that consumes half the battery power of state-of-art robotic legs while producing more force. The streamlined design features regenerative braking, which charges the battery with energy captured when the foot hits the ground, enabling users to walk for over twice as long on one charge.
A new regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) technology has been developed to improve the control and precision of prosthetic hands for upper limb amputees. The RPNIs allowed participants to perform complex finger and thumb movements with high accuracy and worked for up to 300 days without requiring recalibration.
University of Michigan researchers create a way to tame temperamental nerve endings, separate thick nerve bundles into smaller fibers, and amplify signals to enable precise control. The approach involves tiny muscle grafts and machine learning algorithms, allowing for intuitive prosthetic control with no learning required.
The Utah Bionic Leg, developed by the University of Utah, enables amputees to walk with more power and better balance. The prosthetic limb features sensors, motors, a computer processor, and artificial intelligence that work together to provide assistance during walking and other activities.
A neuroprosthesis mimics sensory feedback by stimulating nerves in the remaining limb, improving mobility, agility, and preventing falls. The device enabled patients to perform complex tasks with greater ease and a reduced mental burden.
Researchers are working on developing wireless sensors to communicate with prosthetic devices, aiming to improve the performance of prosthetics for individuals with upper limb amputations. The new technology has exciting implications for those facing limb loss, and will be tested on amputees next year.
Researchers have created a prosthetic arm called the LUKE Arm, which can mimic human hand sensations, allowing amputees to pick up objects with greater precision. The arm uses a system of mathematical calculations and modeling to send biologically realistic signals to the brain, enabling users to feel touch, texture, and pressure.
Researchers at MIT develop fiber-based system that can contract and expand like a muscle, producing surprisingly strong pulling forces. The fibers can be manufactured in batches up to hundreds of meters long and are extremely lightweight and quick-responding.
Researchers at the University of Bath have created a new way to design and manufacture personalized prosthetic liners in under a day. This innovative approach uses computer science and 3D scanning to create affordable, comfortable liners that reduce pressure on the residual limb, promoting healthy walking habits.
A Vanderbilt team designed a device that captures the natural stumble response of people with two legs, a challenge for those with prosthetic legs. By tripping test subjects 190 times, they aimed to program computer-controlled prosthetics to prevent more falls.
A study found that people with polydactyly, having six fingers per hand, exhibit improved motor skills and ability to perform movements with one hand. The researchers discovered dedicated brain areas controlling the extra finger's movement, allowing for versatile manipulation.
Researchers at Stanford University have created a more stable prosthetic leg that can handle rough terrain, reducing the risk of falls. The new design uses a tripod foot with adjustable pressure distribution to improve mobility and overall quality of life for individuals with lower limb amputations.
Researchers have developed a prosthetic arm that can detect and replicate phantom limb movements, revolutionizing amputee rehabilitation. The device uses muscle activity generated by mobilization of the phantom limb to achieve precise control, allowing patients to interact with their prostheses without extensive training or surgery.
Amputees can be tricked into feeling their prosthetic limb belongs to their own body by combining visual and tactile sensations. The study used virtual reality goggles and artificial tactile sensations to induce embodiment, reducing phantom limb issues.
Researchers at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine discovered dynamic signals from sense organs are crucial for normal leg movements. The findings suggest mechanisms to make prosthetic joints more adaptable, enabling more natural movements in amputees.
MIT engineers developed a simple, low-cost passive prosthetic foot that can be tailored to an individual's body weight and size, allowing for a more natural gait. The custom-designed prostheses use a design framework that predicts a user's biomechanical performance based on the mechanical design of the prosthetic foot.
Researchers developed a new neural interface paradigm that preserves dynamic muscle relationships in amputated limbs, allowing for proprioceptive feedback and movement commands. The technique improved sensation and control of prosthetic limbs, enabling people with artificial limbs to move more efficiently and naturally.
Researchers have developed a novel approach to limb amputation that preserves dynamic muscle relationships, enabling patients to feel the movement of their prosthetic limbs. This new paradigm, called the agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI), has been successfully implemented in a human patient with below-knee amputation.
Researchers at Caltech have successfully induced natural sensations in a paralyzed man by stimulating his somatosensory cortex with tiny arrays of electrodes. The study could enable people with prosthetic limbs to feel physical feedback from sensors.
A new UCL-led study found that people with one hand can recognize a prosthetic limb as their real hand, particularly those who use a prosthesis regularly. This adaptation allows the brain to compensate for the missing limb, enabling more comfortable and easier-to-use prosthetics.
Research conducted by the University of Exeter and University of Strathclyde found that people with prosthetic arms are less affected by the size-weight illusion. The study compared perception in amputees using prosthetics with those using their natural hands, finding a significant difference in illusion strength.
New techniques harness neural circuitry to control prosthetic limbs and eyes, restoring function and improving motor skills. Brain-machine interfaces enable individuals to adapt and learn from technical challenges.
Researchers used ultra-high field fMRI to map brain pathways in patients with amputations who underwent TMSR. The study found that the brain's motor and somatosensory maps were preserved, but connections with higher-level embodiment regions were weak. Future prosthetics should implement systematic somatosensory feedback to enable patie...
A new surgical technique devised by MIT researchers could allow amputees to sense and control artificial limbs through coordination of existing nerves, muscle grafts, and prosthetic limbs. The approach has the potential to reduce the rejection rate of prosthetic limbs and improve patient care.
A new generation of prosthetic limbs with built-in cameras can now automatically pick up objects, eliminating the need for manual control. Researchers at Newcastle University have developed a 'hand that sees' using computer vision and neural networks, which can assess object shape and size in real-time to trigger precise movements.
A study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of prosthetic interventions for transtibial amputees, finding that they can reduce healthcare burden and improve quality of life despite higher initial costs. The analysis suggests that prosthetic use can lead to lower overall costs by decreasing utilization and adverse events.
LegBank, a social enterprise company, has received a $1 million grant from Google.org to produce and distribute high-quality prosthetic limbs to amputees in need. The grant will enable production expansion and distribution to Colombia, where it aims to help an estimated 15,000 amputees with limited access to prosthetic care.
Researchers create simulation model to account for sphere roughness in experiments, enabling accurate measurements and electrical conductivity. The model predicts a sweet spot for optimal contact area, reducing friction and minimizing damage.
A University of Michigan robot, MARLO, can now walk down steep slopes and uneven ground using a novel feedback control algorithm. The algorithm's potential benefits extend to powered prosthetic legs and other two-legged robots.
A recent study published in Journal of Experimental Biology found that Paralympic sprinters with left leg prostheses are impaired when running on the inside lanes of curved tracks, resulting in slower times. This could impact their performance and potentially affect gold medal chances.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine have successfully controlled a prosthetic arm to move individual fingers using brain mapping technology. The study, published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, represents a potential advance in technologies to restore refined hand function to those who have lost arms to injury or disease.
A robotic prosthetic control strategy based on human reflexes has shown promise in simulation and laboratory testing, producing stable walking gaits over uneven terrain and improved balance recovery from trips. The technology will be further developed and tested using volunteers with above-the-knee amputations over the next three years.
Researchers have developed a new method to create an artificial sense of touch through direct brain stimulation, which could lead to the development of advanced prosthetic limbs. The study, led by Sliman Bensmaia, has identified key characteristics of electrical signals that trigger specific sensations in the brain.
Scientists have developed an artificial skin that can detect static objects using flexible organic circuits and specialized pressure sensors. The system translates static pressure into digital signals, which are then transferred to the brain cells of mice, offering a potential solution for people with prosthetic limbs to feel sensation
Researchers developed an algorithm to automatically tune powered prosthetic legs, tracking joint angles while walking. The system allows patients to walk comfortably with reduced prosthesis-related costs and easier adjustments.
A team of researchers has designed a passive, low-tech prosthetic knee that delivers similar performance to high-end prosthetics for a few hundred dollars. The prototype mimics the ideal torque profile of able-bodied knees using simple mechanical elements like springs and dampers.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a device that stimulates nerves in the upper arm and forearm to transmit sensory signals to the brain, enabling users to feel hot and cold and the sense of touch through their prosthetic hands. The team plans to test the device on nonhuman primates to determine its effect...
A team of researchers at the University of Utah has received $1.4 million to further develop an implantable neural interface that allows amputees to control a prosthetic hand with their thoughts and feel sensations of touch and movement.
Researchers have developed implantable devices that can record muscle activity and provide more natural prosthesis control. The technologies aim to improve the reliability of prosthetic limbs and enable users to experience sensations in their residual limbs, enhancing overall prosthetic performance.
A research team led by Cleveland Clinic's Paul Marasco aims to develop a suite of outcome metrics for advanced prosthetic limbs, which could change the way these technologies are evaluated. The team plans to use bi-directional integrated systems and functional metrics to improve prosthetic devices.
A UT Dallas professor applied robot control theory to create powered prosthetics that can dynamically respond to the wearer's environment, enabling amputees to walk at speeds of over 1 meter per second. The new approach simplifies the human gait cycle into a single variable, allowing for more stable and natural movement.
New research examines the effects of powered prosthetic leg errors on users, revealing some mistakes are insignificant, while others can cause noticeable instability. The team aims to improve decoding accuracy and minimize mechanical work changes to create more reliable prostheses.