NIMA

Project objectives

The EU-funded NIMA – 'Non-invasive Interface for Movement Augmentation' project creates future and emerging technologies (FETs) that go beyond what is known and where visionary thinking can open promising avenues towards powerful new technologies.

The overall goal is to design, build and test interfaces that allow people to control artificial limbs in a coordinated way with their natural limbs. Such systems would have multiple applications in many different areas, for example laparoscopic surgeons might be able to perform surgical procedures with three hands so as to perform tasks that require expert synchronization of handling three surgical instruments which currently cannot be achieved minimally. invasive.

An interdisciplinary team of leading experts in neuroscience, neurotechnology, human-machine interfaces, robotics and ethics collaborates to achieve the following objectives:

- Pushing the boundaries of technology by creating non-invasive interfaces with multi-modal sensory feedback that will allow for effortless control of multiple limbs or objects as well as a wearable supernumerary robotic limb.

- Understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying increased movement, how it can be functionally "embodied" and how this can be facilitated by multimodal feedback, combining neuromodulation, computational modeling and behavioral experiments.

- Applying movement augmentation to extend human capabilities and using three relevant testbeds: i) tri-manipulation with a wearable supernumerary robotic arm and two hands, ii) surgical manipulation assistance to extend capabilities and autonomy of the surgeon, iii) computerized interface for tri-manipulation.

- Evaluate the ethical and safety aspects of augmenting movement.

Start and end date

Project Manager

Coordinating institution of the project

Other Institutions involved

Funding source(s).

Link to the project website

NIMA