Smart Prosthetics Exploring Assistive Devices for the Body and Mind: Task Group Summaries (2007) / Chapter Skim
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Can Brain Control Guide or Refine Limb Control?
Can Brain Control Guide or Refine Limb Control?
Pages 87-96
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From page 87... ...
. Implanted Electrodes for Prosthetic Control The application of this discovery for brain-controlled motor prostheses requires the chronic implantation of at least tens of recording microelectrodes inside the brain.
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From page 88... ...
In addition, the length of time for which implanted electrodes will continue to provide good-quality signals for prosthetic control is also to be determined. Noninvasive Brain Signals for Prosthetic Control Ideally, it would be best to use brain signals recorded by noninvasive ways to control prosthetic devices.
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From page 89... ...
Ideally, the basic functionality of such a network should be incorporated in a prosthetic limb, in order for the full benefit and impact of using motor cortical signals to be achieved. This would be particularly useful for the simultaneous or temporally overlapping control of multiple aspects of limb motor function, including hand trajectory in space, opening, closing, or shaping of the hand, force intensity, etc.
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From page 90... ...
Science 296:1829-1832. TASK GROUP SUMMARY Summary written by: Kirk Fernandes, Graduate Student/Journalist, Center for Science and Medical Journalism, Boston University Task group members: • Richard Andersen, Professor, Biology, Caltech • Jose Carmena, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley • John Donoghue, Director, Brain Science Program, Neuroscience Department, Brown University • Alexander Dromerick, Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine and Neurology Department, National Rehabilitation Hospital/Georgetown University • Leon Esterowitz, Program Director, Bioengineering and Environmental Systems, National Science Foundation • Kirk Fernandes, Graduate Student/Journalist, Center for Science and Medical Journalism, Boston University • Apostolos Georgopoulos, Regents Professor, Director, The Domenici Research Center for Mental Illness Department, University of Minnesota Medical School • Simon Giszter, Associate Professor, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine • Selcuk Guceri, Dean, College of Engineering, Drexel University • Jiping He, Professor and Director, Bioengineering and Center for Neural Interface Design, Arizona State University • Leigh Hochberg, Instructor/Investigator, Neurology/Neuroscience Department, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital/ Brown University/VAMC • Robert Kirsch, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University • Zelma Kiss, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary
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From page 91... ...
The key to making effective smart prosthetics may lie in understanding the complex interactions originating in our brains. An assemblage of 15 scientists, doctors, and agency representatives with backgrounds ranging from neuroscience to engineering welcomed the challenge during the 2006 Keck Futures Initiative Conference by tackling the question: Can brain control guide or refine limb control?
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From page 92... ...
And in the end, participants took a holistic approach to addressing challenges, by creating a research roadmap for an ambitious goal-oriented initiative: develop a command interface that as a modular component in a smart prosthetic system, could fully restore function or have therapeutic value in the rehabilitation of lost movement. The first issue task members needed to consider was the identification of the best targets in the brain for pertinent neuronal information.
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From page 93... ...
While current EEG skullcap devices do not require the insertion of electronics directly into the brain, the signal-to-noise ratio is much lower in EEG recordings than microelectrodes, providing less valuable information, according to some task group members. However, at least one researcher was optimistic that with improved technology, an EEG command interface could be used to control limb movement or perhaps be integrated with microelectrodes into a network of sensors that achieve ultimate movement goals.
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From page 94... ...
Other issues that came under consideration included the appropriate representational frame for the prosthetic, the degrees of freedom required for commands extracted from the motor cortex, the required task effector, and whether movement specifications should be interpreted continuously, discretely, intermittently, or in some combination. Restoring complete
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From page 95... ...
relative to less direct "intention" commands from other brain areas will also depend upon the specific nature and sophistication of this local control system. Such a bottom-up approach would complement basic neurophysiological research by enabling effective use of emerging knowledge as the capability of prosthetic devices improves over time.
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From page 96... ...
In the end, the task group set an ambitious goal for brain-controlled smart prosthetics: to restore the injured and afflicted to their prior social roles. But grand visions cannot be accomplished in giant leaps; instead, smaller tractable steps -- starting with an increased understanding of basic neurophysiology -- will build a solid foundation for smart limb prosthetics.
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