ANIA

Project objectives

The project aims to develop an upper limb prosthetic system with innovative, non-invasive interfaces for intuitive control of the prosthesis and the most natural tactile sensory feedback possible. The ultimate goal is to enable the patient to think about the grasping movement, implement it through the prosthesis, and modify it.carlo thanks to the perception of the grasped object, restored with stimulation.

Two noninvasive stimulation techniques of varying complexity will be studied. The first, already well-established, is transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the peripheral nervous system (TENS), while the second, more innovative, is focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) of the central nervous system.

An extensive study of the bidirectional control of the prosthesis based on TENS will be carried out, while a feasibility study of FUS will be carried out since the latter is a new technique and has only been preliminarily tested on healthy subjects.

In particular, the creation of a modular prosthetic system with a non-invasive interface that can be customized to the user's residual abilities will be addressed.

The functionality of current prosthetics will be improved through the development of both a sensorized prosthetic hand with force sensors and force and position control to ensure a stable grip.

Finally, a sensory feedback system will be developed to provide tactile and force sensations to the user and to include the user in the control of grip and manipulation.

The efficacy, functionality, and acceptability of the developed prosthetic system will be evaluated in everyday settings. To this end, a study will be conducted on 10 healthy subjects and at least 5 macro-injured subjects with amputations for TENS stimulation, while FUS stimulation will be tested on healthy subjects and, possibly, on one macro-injured subject with amputation.

Using both methods, the ability to provide selective and discriminable tactile sensations such as touch, pressure, and object texture will be assessed.

The motor skills and functional abilities in daily living activities acquired by patients thanks to the developed prosthetic system will be evaluated, as well as the users' satisfaction with using the prosthesis.

Start and end date

September 2018 - September 2020

Scientific manager

prof Loredana Zollo, Associate Professor of the Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems Research Unit

Coordinating institution of the project

Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma

Funding source