For "Wifi-Myohand" and "ReGiveMeFive" a total investment of over three million euros is foreseen. Both will last 36 months and foresee the involvement, as partner, of the BioRobotics Institute of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. The goal is the development of cutting-edge solutions for the full social and occupational reintegration of amputees
Rome, 24 July 2020 - In the world there are three million people with upper limb amputation and in Italy alone there are about four thousand a year, 80% of which involve the hand. To push the frontier of technologies even higher in favor of these patients, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma e Inail have signed a collaboration agreement for the realization of the two research projects – “Wifi-Myohand” e “ReGiveMeFive” – with a total joint investment of more than three million euros.
The first project concerns an implantable system, optimized for interfacing with the peripheral nervous system for the restoration of sensory perception in upper limb prostheses, and aims at the creation of a new wireless system for the active control of the movements of the bionic limb part of the patient. The second looks at the new frontiers in prosthetic surgery and aims to increase the number of patients who benefit from the most advanced bionic surgery procedures to improve the general health condition of the amputee patient, for example by significantly reducing chronic phantom limb pain and related pain to the physical integration of the prosthesis with the stump of the limb.
The two projects, both lasting 36 months, involve the research and training area, the health area and the technical production area of the Inail Prosthesis Center of Vigorso di Budrio and the research units of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma Orthopedics and Traumatology, Advanced Robotics and Person-Centered Technologies, Neurology, Neurophysiology and Neurobiology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurophysiology and Human-Technology Interaction Neuroengineering. In both projects, the involvement, as a partner, of theBioRobotics Institute of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa.
“Wifi-Myohand”, project that continues a long trail of work carried out in the laboratories ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, thanks to the collaboration between engineers, orthopedists, neurological specialists and physiatrists, aims at the development of a completely implantable stimulation system for chronic use, the miniaturization of the elements, the improvement of the techniques of coding of the muscular activity and the increase in the number of commands that can be executed by the patient with the limb prosthesis. The project will be coordinated by UCBM Prof. Loredana Zollo, Professor of Industrial Bioengineering, and for Inail Eng. Emanuel Groups, technical director of the research and training area of the Prosthesis Center of Vigorso di Budrio.
“ReGiveMeFive” wants to increase the number of patients who benefit from bionic surgery, define personalized bionic surgery procedures that make the patient's stump adaptable to the latest generation prosthetic devices, restore the user's proprioception or the ability to perceive the position of one's body in space, define new guidelines and awareness of the National Health Service on revisions of the amputation stump. The project coordinators will be for UCBM the professor. Vincenzo Denaro, head physician emeritus and full professor of Orthopedics, and for Inail Eng. Groups.
“With these two projects, our University once again casts its gaze towards the frontiers of biomedical research, that of creating increasingly advanced technologies that are at the same time attentive to the needs of the person – explained the rector of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Raffael calabrò – Having a limb again does not yet mean a full return to normal life if it does not allow full social and work reintegration: for years our university has been studying the most cutting-edge solutions to increase the well-being of those who need it most. Allowing a real diffusion of bionic limbs that can actually be used in work activities and in daily life represents a real contribution to the development of the society in which we live, and for this reason we are pleased to sign a new agreement with Inail".
“For our institutional mission – underlined the president of Inail, Franco Bettoni research represents a fundamental strategic lever, capable of producing results with a significant impact on the quality of life of our patients and of experimenting with increasingly effective treatments to reduce post-injury recovery times and improve rehabilitation programmes. The agreement signed today with theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma confirms a now consolidated partnership and further strengthens our synergy with the main academic and research bodies, aimed at creating a scientific network of excellence for the implementation of highly prospective projects in the prosthetic and rehabilitation field".
