&ldquo;When I touch the stump with my hand, I feel tingling in my missing hand, my phantom hand. But feeling the temperature variation is a different thing, something important... something beautiful,&rdquo; says Francesca Rossi.Rossi is an amputee from Bologna, Italy. She recently participated in a study to test the effects of temperature feedback directly to the skin on her residual arm. She is one of 17 patients to have felt her phantom, missing hand, change in temperature thanks to new EPFL technology. More importantly, she reports feeling reconnected to her missing hand.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ccy2rpjkhxQ?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> &ldquo;Temperature feedback is a nice sensation because you feel the limb, the phantom limb, entirely. It does not feel phantom anymore because your limb is back,&rdquo; Rossi continues.Researchers Silvestro Micera and Solaiman Shokur have been keen on incorporating new sensory feedback into prosthetic limbs for providing more realistic touch to amputees, and their latest study focuses on temperature. They stumbled upon a discovery about temperature feedback that far exceeds their expectations.If you place something hot or cold on the forearm of an intact individual, that person will feel the object&rsquo;s temperature locally, directly on their forearm. But in amputees, that temperature sensation on the residual arm may be felt&shy;&hellip; in the phantom, missing hand.By providing temperature feedback non-invasively, via thermal electrodes (aka thermodes) placed against the skin on the residual arm, amputees like Rossi report feeling temperature in their phantom limb. They can feel if an object is hot or cold, and can tell if they are touching copper, plastic or glass. In a collaboration between EPFL, Sant&rsquo;Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA) and Centro Protesi Inail, the technology was successfully tested in 17 out of 27 patients. The results are published in Science.&ldquo;Of particular importance is that phantom thermal sensations are perceived by the patient as similar to the thermal sensations experienced by their intact hand,&quot; explains Shokur, EPFL senior scientist neuroengineer who co-led the study.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1684764143446-f5080511.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">2023 EPFL / Neuro-X Institute&nbsp;<h2 id="isPasted">Towards realistic bionic touch</h2>The projection of temperature sensations into the phantom limb has led to the development of new bionic technology, one that equips prosthetics with non-invasive temperature feedback that allows amputees to discern what they&rsquo;re touching.&ldquo;Temperature feedback is essential for relaying information that goes beyond touch, it leads to feelings of affection. We are social beings and warmth is an important part of that,&rdquo; says Micera, Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering, professor at EPFL and SSSA who also co-led the study. &ldquo;For the first time, after many years of research in my laboratory showing that touch and position information can be successfully delivered, we envisage the possibility of restoring all of the rich sensations that one&rsquo;s natural hand can provide.&rdquo;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1684764173810-1440x948.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">EPFL / Alain Herzog. Silvestro Micera holding a thermal sensor on a prosthetic index finger.&nbsp;<h2>Temperature feedback, from well-being to prosthetics</h2>A few years ago, Micera and Shokur got wind of a system that could provide<a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6775436" rel="noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;temperature feedback through the skin of healthy subjects</a>, also developed at EPFL and spun-off by Metaphysiks.Metaphysiks has been developing neuro-haptic technology, MetaTouch, which connects the body with digital worlds. MetaTouch combines touch and temperature feedback to augment physical products for well-being.&ldquo;This breakthrough highlights the power of haptics to improve medical conditions and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities,&rdquo; says Simon Gallo, Co-founder and Head of Technology at Metaphysiks.The EPFL neuroengineers borrowed MetaTouch that provides thermal feedback directly to a user&rsquo;s skin. With this device, they discovered the thermal phantom sensations and subsequently tested it in 27 amputees.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1684764236941-1440x960.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">EPFL / Alain Herzog. Fabrizio Fidati (left) and Jonathan Muheim.&nbsp;<h2>The Minitouch prototype and tests</h2>For the study, Shokur and Micera developed the MiniTouch, a device that provides thermal feedback and specifically built for integration into wearable devices like prosthetics. The MiniTouch consists of a thin, wearable sensor that can be placed over an amputee&rsquo;s prosthetic finger. The finger sensor detects thermal information about the object being touched, more specifically, the object&rsquo;s heat conductivity. If the object is metallic, it will naturally conduct more heat or cold than, for instance, a plastic one. A thermode, one that is in contact with the skin on the amputee&rsquo;s residual arm, heats up or cools down, relaying the temperature profile of the object being touched by the finger sensor.&ldquo;When we presented the possibility to get back temperature sensation on the phantom limb or the possibility to feel the contact with different materials, we obtained a lot of positive feedback. And eventually, we were able to recruit more than 25 volunteers in less than two years,&rdquo; says Federico Morosato who was responsible for organizing the clinical aspect of the trials at Centro Protesi Inail.The scientists found that small areas of skin on the residual arm project to specific parts of the phantom hand, like the thumb, or the tip of an index finger. As expected, they discovered that the mapping of temperature sensations between the residual arm and the entire projected phantom one is unique to each patient.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1684764284070-1440x961.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">EPFL / Alain Herzog. Fabrizio Fidati (left) and Jonathan Muheim.&nbsp;<h2>Bionic prosthetics for repairing the human body</h2>Almost a decade ago, Micera and colleagues provided real-time sensory feedback about objects being grasped. They went on to improve touch resolution by providing feedback about an object&rsquo;s texture and position information in a reliable way. Moreover, they discovered that amputees begin to embody their prosthetic hand if provided with sensory feedback directly into their intact nervous system. The added sensation of temperature feedback is yet another step towards building bionic prosthetics for repairing the human body. Fine-tuning temperature sensations and integrating these into a wearable device that can be mapped out to each patient are part of the next steps.

The MiniTouch, a device that allows amputees to feel hot and cold in their phantom hand. 2023 EPFL / Alain Herzog.

An unexpected discovery about temperature feedback has led to new bionic technology that allows amputees to sense the temperature of objects ­– both hot and cold – directly in the phantom hand. The technology opens up new avenues for non-invasive prosthetics.

Amputees feel warmth in their missing hand

A groundbreaking 2020 research project led by <a href="https://www.tudelft.nl/3me/over/afdelingen/biomechanical-engineering/research/biomechatronics-human-machine-control/delft-institute-of-prosthetics-and-orthotics" target="_blank">Delft University of Technology and Gyromotics</a> delved into the unique requirements of children using lower limb prosthetics. The findings highlighted that youngsters are more prone to damaging their prosthetic devices due to their active nature. Furthermore, the study emphasized the need for greater adaptability in children&#39;s prosthetics, as growth spurts can cause the devices to become overly rigid or excessively flexible.The results of the study inspired <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijmen-seignette-51153b101?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAABnizB0BjktQ9h9zx63zxr_kymOBsl-InMU" target="_blank">Tijmen Seignette</a>, a researcher at TU Delft, to look for ways to make children&#39;s prosthetics more robust, comfortable, and adaptable as they grew.&nbsp;Tijmen pitched his graduation project titled &#39;Measuring Ground Reaction Forces in Running Specific Prostheses - A Fiber Optic Sensing Approach,&rsquo; where he designed a sensor system for running specific prostheses together with <a href="https://www.photonfirst.com/" target="_blank">Photon First</a> and <a href="https://gyromotics.com/en/" target="_blank">Gyromotics</a>. His system can be used to improve sprinting performance of Paralympic athletes, as well as validate prosthetic design choices. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijmen-seignette-51153b101?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAABnizB0BjktQ9h9zx63zxr_kymOBsl-InMU" target="_blank">Seignette</a> submitted his research to the Precision Fairs Boost Your Talent Awards, where he won the $5000 Wevolver award. <a href="#_msocom_2" id="_anchor_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2" target="_blank">[2]</a> The Precision Fair is organized by Mikrocentrum.&nbsp;We recently sat done with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijmen-seignette-51153b101?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAABnizB0BjktQ9h9zx63zxr_kymOBsl-InMU" target="_blank">Seignette</a>, to talk about what his project is now and how he sees the future of prosthetics.&nbsp;<h2>When did the project get started? What was your motivation, and what did the early&nbsp;iterations look like?</h2>The Ground Reaction Force measurement project on prosthetics started in the summer of 2020 as a graduation project for my Master&#39;s thesis at the Biomedical Engineering department at the Delft University of Technology. In a previous graduation project, a design for a novel prosthesis was made. However, no validation method for this design was readily available. Therefore, in the project, I set out to design a measurement system that would allow for GRF measurements during running, as these forces are very important parameters in efficient sprint running.Early iterations of the instrumented prosthesis were based on FBG shape-sensing prototypes that I got acquainted with during my internship at PhotonFirst in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. During this internship, I learned how to perform calculations on deformations in (composite) materials using optical sensors. I also learned how to apply FBGs in several other fields, and thus got to know which limitations, but mostly which opportunities these kinds of sensors have in several fields of applications.&nbsp;Ewoud Velu, an engineer at PhotonFirst, helped me to create the FBG-instrumented prosthetics. We first made a prosthetic that would allow for rudimentary measurements, and to see if our method of applying sensors to the surface of the prosthetic would work as expected. Of: At PhotonFirst, Ewoud Velu, an engineer, collaborated with me to develop FBG-instrumented prosthetics. We began by creating a basic prosthetic to conduct initial measurements and test the effectiveness of our sensor application method on its surface.&nbsp;The next step was&nbsp;to&nbsp;integrate the sensors into the prosthetic so that it could be used by an athlete for field tests.<h2>How important was winning the Precision Fair&rsquo;s Boost Your Talent Award? What doors did this open?</h2><a href="https://precisiebeurs.nl/register" target="_blank">The Boost Your Talent award</a> helped me build a professional network in the engineering field. This helped me find the right people to help us further develop the product that I am currently working on in Project Unlimited. Because of winning the award, we were also introduced to the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-composite-engineering-challenge" target="_blank">Composites Engineering Challenge by Mitsubishi Chemical,</a> in which we won the Innovation Award for the most disruptive and innovative project within our field.&nbsp;In addition to this, my project will also be published by professional magazines such as the Mikroniek, which means that the project will gain more attention in the professional field of sensors and fine mechanics. Of:&nbsp;Furthermore, my project will also be featured in professional magazines such as Mikroniek. This will increase its visibility within the professional field of sensors and fine mechanics.&nbsp;<img border="0" width="602" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgzMDE5NzY3NzIyLTE2ODMwMTk3Njc3MjIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Project Unlimited involves the end users throughout the whole design cycle. Image credit: Project Unlimited<h2>What impact did winning the innovation award for the Composites Engineering Challenge have?</h2>By winning the award, we got international attention for the problems and inconveniences that children with an amputation face on a daily basis. We got the opportunity to publish articles in multiple magazines and blogs so that we could communicate what problems we are tackling by creating a new prosthesis.&nbsp;As a team, we welcome this because one of our research project&#39;s goals is to raise awareness about children who use a lower leg prosthetic.We will also receive help from Mitsubishi Chemical in exploring suitable materials and production methods to find the right material properties that we are looking for. We are also looking into scaling up the production for the modular prosthesis, which is very helpful for our project; within our project group, we do have a lot of knowledge on prototyping and small-scale production of composites but not in larger series production. Getting help from a large company with a lot of experience in scaling the production method will have a large impact on the project.&nbsp;Additionally, we are detailing our service model and business model for our prosthesis - for now, mainly for the purpose of the Dutch market. Mitsubishi will help us find the right people to further develop these aspects of our project.&nbsp;<h2>What&#39;s next for you and the project?&nbsp;</h2>In the coming months, we will do multiple iterations of our current modular prosthetic design, so that, eventually, we will have a prosthesis that we know will be safely usable for an extended period. We will then launch a testing trial with multiple orthopedic technical companies so that about 20 children will be provided with a prosthetic foot. From these tests, we will gather data to further develop our product-service system and eventually do a market introduction under the Gyromotics company in the Netherlands.&nbsp;We will also be working on awareness about children with a foot prosthetic, for instance, by developing presentation material that can be used by children in primary schools to tell their peers about prosthetics, and we will attend technical/educational events to showcase our progress on the design of our foot. For me personally, my role in the research project is almost finished, and I will be on the lookout for a new professional challenge in the field of medical design/R&amp;D. On the side, I will still be helping out the Project Unlimited team, where I can.&nbsp;<h2>What resources or input are you looking for now?</h2>For Project Unlimited, we want to explore the implementation of our product into the market.Since we have a complicated stakeholder structure in our project (lots of people are involved in providing prosthetics for children; the child, the parents, orthopedic technicians, rehabilitation doctors, insurance companies, etc.), we need to get everyone involved in the service design so that we can provide every child with a lower leg amputation with the right prosthetic foot, for the right price.&nbsp;For this service design and the detailing of the business model, we are also working together with Mitsubishi Chemical, but it is always nice to know of other projects that apply a similar approach to healthcare and see if we can learn from these projects as well. Personally, since I will be looking for a new professional challenge, I am mainly looking for a role in a project that involves a disruptive product/service in the healthcare field, as I think I can apply the knowledge I gained in my previous work well in this field.<h3>Read more about Mikrocentrum:</h3>Mikrocentrum is the connecting platform for the high-tech and manufacturing industry. We have a fascination with technology. And as an independent foundation, we are uniquely positioned to establish the right connections to translate that fascination into all layers of the value chain. Together with our members, customers, and partners, we are committed to a strong innovative ecosystem, talent development, and addressing the major societal challenges of today. We do this by providing education, stimulating meetings, and connecting through our courses, events, and member platform. Because with knowledge, talent, skills, and connections as fuel, we are making the world of tomorrow a little better today.<h3>About the Precision Fair:</h3>The Precision Fair is the annual trade fair for the entire precision technology value chain, ranging from mechatronic engineering &amp; systems, metrology, vacuum &amp; clean, micro processing &amp; motion, laser &amp; photonics, to production for high precision.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgzMDE5ODg5NzYwLW1pa3JvIGJvdHRvbSBiYW5uZXIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

Research from elite athletes informs the design of these robust and adaptable prosthetics. We interview researcher Tijmen Seignette, about his ambitions to change how we approach prosthetic design. 

Revolutionizing prosthetics for kids: A modular approach that grows with the user

A dive into how AI is helping overcome limitations with current prosthetics by offering improved signal decoding, functionality and more intuitive control.  


How AI is Helping Power Next-Generation Prosthetic Limbs

This article was first published on <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/magnetic-sensors-muscle-prosthetics-1025" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>. &nbsp;<hr>Using a simple set of magnets, MIT researchers have come up with a sophisticated way to monitor muscle movements, which they hope will make it easier for people with amputations to control their prosthetic limbs.In a new pair of papers, the researchers demonstrated the accuracy and safety of their magnet-based system, which can track the length of muscles during movement. The studies, performed in animals, offer hope that this strategy could be used to help people with prosthetic devices control them in a way that more closely mimics natural limb movement.&ldquo;These recent results demonstrate that this tool can be used outside the lab to track muscle movement during natural activity, and they also suggest that the magnetic implants are stable and biocompatible and that they don&rsquo;t cause discomfort,&rdquo; says Cameron Taylor, an MIT research scientist and co-lead author of both papers.In one of the studies, the researchers showed that they could accurately measure the lengths of turkeys&rsquo; calf muscles as the birds ran, jumped, and performed other natural movements. In the other study, they showed that the small magnetic beads used for the measurements do not cause inflammation or other adverse effects when implanted in muscle.&ldquo;I am very excited for the clinical potential of this new technology to improve the control and efficacy of bionic limbs for persons with limb-loss,&rdquo; says Hugh Herr, a professor of media arts and sciences, co-director of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at MIT, and an associate member of MIT&rsquo;s McGovern Institute for Brain Research.Herr is a senior author of both papers, which appear today in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Thomas Roberts, a professor of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at Brown University, is a senior author of the measurement study.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666878421382-MIT-Muscle-tracking-02-PRESS.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The new muscle measuring approach takes advantage of the magnetic attraction between two small beads implanted in a muscle. Using a small sensor attached to the outside of the body, the system can track the distances between the two magnets as the muscle contracts and flexes. Image: Courtesy of the researchers<h2>Tracking movement</h2>Currently, powered prosthetic limbs are usually controlled using an approach known as surface electromyography (EMG). Electrodes attached to the surface of the skin or surgically implanted in the residual muscle of the amputated limb measure electrical signals from a person&rsquo;s muscles, which are fed into the prosthesis to help it move the way the person wearing the limb intends.However, that approach does not take into account any information about the muscle length or velocity, which could help to make the prosthetic movements more accurate.Several years ago, the MIT team began working on a novel way to perform those kinds of muscle measurements, using an approach that they call magnetomicrometry. This strategy takes advantage of the permanent magnetic fields surrounding small beads implanted in a muscle. Using a credit-card-sized, compass-like sensor attached to the outside of the body, their system can track the distances between the two magnets. When a muscle contracts, the magnets move closer together, and when it flexes, they move further apart.In a <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2021/magnet-prosthetic-limb-control-0818" target="_blank">study</a> published last year, the researchers showed that this system could be used to accurately measure small ankle movements when the beads were implanted in the calf muscles of turkeys. In one of the new studies, the researchers set out to see if the system could make accurate measurements during more natural movements in a nonlaboratory setting.To do that, they created an obstacle course of ramps for the turkeys to climb and boxes for them to jump on and off of. The researchers used their magnetic sensor to track muscle movements during these activities, and found that the system could calculate muscle lengths in less than a millisecond.They also compared their data to measurements taken using a more traditional approach known as fluoromicrometry, a type of X-ray technology that requires much larger equipment than magnetomicrometry. The magnetomicrometry measurements varied from those generated by fluoromicrometry by less than a millimeter, on average.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re able to provide the muscle-length tracking functionality of the room-sized X-ray equipment using a much smaller, portable package, and we&rsquo;re able to collect the data continuously instead of being limited to the 10-second bursts that fluoromicrometry is limited to,&rdquo; Taylor says.Seong Ho Yeon, an MIT graduate student, is also a co-lead author of the measurement study. Other authors include MIT Research Support Associate Ellen Clarrissimeaux and former Brown University postdoc Mary Kate O&rsquo;Donnell.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666878456654-MIT-Muscle-tracking-03-PRESS.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Using a simple set of magnets, MIT researchers have come up with a way to monitor muscle movements, which they hope will make it easier for people with amputations to control their prosthetic limbs. Image: Courtesy of the researchers<h2>Biocompatibility</h2>In the second paper, the researchers focused on the biocompatibility of the implants. They found that the magnets did not generate tissue scarring, inflammation, or other harmful effects. They also showed that the implanted magnets did not alter the turkeys&rsquo; gaits, suggesting they did not produce discomfort. William Clark, a postdoc at Brown, is the co-lead author of the biocompatibility study. The researchers also showed that the implants remained stable for eight months, the length of the study, and did not migrate toward each other, as long as they were implanted at least 3 centimeters apart. The researchers envision that the beads, which consist of a magnetic core coated with gold and a polymer called Parylene, could remain in tissue indefinitely once implanted.&ldquo;Magnets don&rsquo;t require an external power source, and after implanting them into the muscle, they can maintain the full strength of their magnetic field throughout the lifetime of the patient,&rdquo; Taylor says.The researchers are now planning to seek FDA approval to test the system in people with prosthetic limbs. They hope to use the sensor to control prostheses similar to the way surface EMG is used now: Measurements regarding the length of muscles will be fed into the control system of a prosthesis to help guide it to the position that the wearer intends.&ldquo;The place where this technology fills a need is in communicating those muscle lengths and velocities to a wearable robot, so that the robot can perform in a way that works in tandem with the human,&rdquo; Taylor says. &ldquo;We hope that magnetomicrometry will enable a person to control a wearable robot with the same comfort level and the same ease as someone would control their own limb.&rdquo;In addition to prosthetic limbs, those wearable robots could include robotic exoskeletons, which are worn outside the body to help people move their legs or arms more easily.<hr>&quot;Reprinted with permission of&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/magnetic-sensors-muscle-prosthetics-1025" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>&quot;&nbsp;

A small, bead-like magnet used in a new approach to measuring muscle position. Image: Courtesy of the researchers

Using a new technology, researchers hope to create better control systems for prosthetic limbs.

Magnetic sensors track muscle length

<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Tried and tested (and free)</h2>Biomimetics is the method by which scientists borrow successful ideas from nature to use in their own inventions. The advantage of this approach is that the solutions found among animals and plants are not subject to any patent. And over countless millennia, there are certain structures and mechanisms in nature that have allowed all sorts of living things to survive in various conditions. Thus, developers can rely on nature&rsquo;s best ideas, modify them as needed, and create robots that resemble beings we&rsquo;re already familiar with.<blockquote>&ldquo;For instance, there&rsquo;s a German company named Festo that specializes in various biomimetic solutions. They have a kangaroo robot that, just like the real thing, conserves energy after a jump and uses it for the next one. There are other notable inventions: the well-known Spot robot-dogs, worm-like medical robots, or even drug delivery bots modeled after fish. Some specialists develop mechanisms based on plant life &ndash; plantoids. But that&rsquo;s still a work in progress and it&rsquo;ll be some time before you can buy one in a store,&rdquo; explains Pavel Kovalenko, an associate professor at the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics.</blockquote><h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">More ground to cover</h2>Nevertheless, the biomimetic method suffers from several limitations. Firstly, scientists have not been successful in recreating the principles or developing materials that would allow them to fully replicate certain species. Take geckos: these lizards&rsquo; paws are covered with microscopic adhesive hairs that can stick to any smooth vertical surface and traverse it. But researchers are yet to create a similar technology that would be suitable for industrial production.<blockquote>&ldquo;When we try to create the same product using nanolithography, the hairs come out different: not splayed like they should be, but rather conical or simply crudely shaped. Because of this, the adhesion is not adequate. In addition, artificial materials cannot self-clean and, therefore, lose their stickiness. It&rsquo;s like a piece of duct tape that you apply and tear off again and again,&rdquo; says Pavel Kovalenko.</blockquote>The second limitation of biomimetics is the scalability of natural mechanisms: as a rule, the ideas used at nanoscale are not always reproducible in macroscale. This forces researchers to look for other solutions to applied problems. For instance, instead of a robotic gecko, they will also create a snail that can climb vertical surfaces.Last but not least, for robots to function as animals, researchers have to truly synchronize their control system, its components, and parts of the robot. According to Pavel Kovalenko, this can be achieved when both the software and the engineering aspects of the robot are developed by a single team with a clear view of their final outcome.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">A robotic zoo at ITMO</h2>Despite all these challenges, students and graduates of ITMO&rsquo;s Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics are actively engaged in biomimetics, having already completed several stages of their research. First, they analyzed the behavior, body structure and functions of living organisms, and then based on this step decided which body parts they should recreate in their work. They have also selected flexible materials resembling existing animals. At the next stage, the researchers performed calculations, chose the digital components and motors for the robot, and developed the necessary software. As a result, they have already created several model robotic animals.For instance, ITMO graduate Georgy Larionenko developed a waterproof robotic fish with a moving tail that works on two magnets. A servomotor inside the waterproof body activates the first magnet, which in its turn activates the second one that is connected to the fluke. This way, by moving its tail in the water, the robotic fish can swim &ndash; both in fresh and salty water, as experiments have shown. The robot can be useful for gauging the parameters of the water and the ocean floor in various conditions, including in the arctic region.&nbsp;<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fYqbsCFRuS0?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 768px; height: 429px;"></iframe>A team of three graduates, Oksana Shuraeva, Anastasia Yusupova, and Anton Kovalenko, has developed a robotic snail. It can crawl down inclined surfaces by intermittently extending and retracting its &ldquo;paws,&rdquo; two spirals with plates attached to them. In order to guide the robot in the necessary direction, a servomotor, located in its shell, positions the snail&rsquo;s head at the needed angle, so that the rest of its body can follow suit. One application of this invention is window cleaning &ndash; the snail will leave a trail of detergent behind.Elizaveta Shelukhina, another ITMO graduate, wanted to make a device that will be protected from its environment. She could take inspiration from several animals, including turtles, hedgehogs, and armadillos, but eventually decided to settle on the latter, creating the concept for robotic armadillo. When the robot senses that something is falling on it or if someone kicks it, it rolls into a ball to protect its silicon insides. When the external influence ends, the robot unrolls back into its full length. Such robotic armadillos can come in handy in rescue missions, when there is a high risk of buildings collapsing.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655602540-1282503.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Robotic snail. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655652013-1282504.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The snail&rsquo;s locomotion mechanism includes two spirals with plates attached to them. The spirals are activated by two D41AB12 DC motors and when climbing an inclined surface the snail&rsquo;s front part is controlled by an FS5106B servomotor. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655682130-1282501.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The concept of a protected armadillo robot developed by Elizaveta Shelukhina. When hit by something, the robot rolls into a ball to protect its insides. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev, ITMO.NEWS&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655703530-1282502.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The robotic fish presented at the Robotex youth robotics contect. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp; &nbsp;These days, students at the faculty are also developing various robotic animals. For example, Maged Mohamed, a second-year student in the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Master&rsquo;s program, researches biomimetics to come up with his own prototype of a waterproof fish that will also resist the pressure deep underwater to collect samples of the bottom and water for analysis.&nbsp;<hr>Translated by&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/30/&source=gmail&ust=1665742142569000&usg=AOvVaw3TxK7CnbdCJBWzW22ae5a2" href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/30/" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vadim Galimov</a> and <a href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/51/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Catherine Zavodova</a>, and originally published by <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.itmo.ru/en/&source=gmail&ust=1665742142569000&usg=AOvVaw2LChR-pA6lYpYiNzCB_TIH" href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/" target="_blank">ITMO.NEWS</a>

Boston Dynamics’ Spot, bionic kangaroos and even ants – biomimetics allows us to replicate almost any living thing. But why do roboticists look to animals for inspiration, what do they do at ITMO, and how do you make a robot act “natural”?

Biomimetics: The Science of Robo-Animals

In this episode, we talk about how exoskeleton technology is being leveraged to treat parkinsons and how a new approach for more efficient, personalized exoskeletons could be the catalyst for wide scale adaptation. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/2690990e-5486-4d21-9474-be2ada6a7cd7?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1650372081342-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(2:53) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/researchers-apply-exosuit-sensors-to-measure-muscle-strain" target="_blank">Exosuit Sensor For Parkinsons</a>(16:07) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/exoskeletons-with-personalize-your-own-settings" target="_blank">Personalized Exoskeletons</a>Episode 66 was brought to you by Mouser Electronics, Farbod &amp; Daniel&rsquo;s favorite electronics distributor. Click <a href="https://www.mouser.com/applications/robotic-exoskeletons/" target="_blank">here</a> to read the article explaining exoskeleton technology.<hr>About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!Take a few seconds to leave us a review. It really helps!&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2" target="_blank">https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2</a>if you do it and send us proof, we&rsquo;ll give you a shoutout on the show.

MyoExo integrates a series of sensors into a wearable device capable of detecting slight changes in muscle strain and bulging, enabling it to measure and track the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Credit: Oluwaseun Araromi

In this episode, we talk about how exoskeleton technology is being leveraged to treat parkinsons and how a new approach for more efficient, personalized exoskeletons could be the catalyst for wide scale adaptation. 

Podcast: Personalized Exoskeletons & Treating Parkinson's

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1650413606925000&usg=AOvVaw16xKBtosQeG984xi1GgTmJ" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/2690990e-5486-4d21-9474-be2ada6a7cd7?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>The full article will continue below.<hr>To transform human mobility, exoskeletons need to interact seamlessly with their user, providing the right level of assistance at the right time to cooperate with our muscles as we move.&nbsp;To help achieve this, University of Michigan researchers gave users direct control to customize the behavior of an ankle exoskeleton.Not only was the process faster than the conventional approach, in which an expert would decide the settings, but it may have incorporated preferences an expert would have missed. For instance, user height and weight, which are commonly used metrics for tuning exoskeletons and robotic prostheses, had no effect on preferred settings.&ldquo;Instead of a one-size-fits-all level of power, or using measurements of muscle activity to customize an exoskeleton&rsquo;s behavior, this method uses active user feedback to shape the assistance a person receives,&rdquo; said Kim Ingraham, first author of the study in Science Robotics, and a recent mechanical engineering Ph.D. graduate.&nbsp;Experts usually tune the wide-ranging settings of powered exoskeletons to take into account the varied characteristics of human bodies, gait biomechanics and user preferences. This can be done by crunching quantifiable data, such as metabolic rate or muscle activity, to minimize the energy expended from a user, or more simply by asking the user to repeatedly compare between pairs of settings to find which feels best.What minimizes energy expenditure, however, may not be the most comfortable or useful. And asking the user to select between choices for numerous settings could be too time consuming and also obscures how those settings might interact with each other to affect the user experience.By allowing the user to directly manipulate the settings, preferences that are difficult to detect or measure could be accounted for by the users themselves. Users could quickly and independently decide what features are most important&mdash;for example, trading off comfort, power or stability, and then selecting the settings to best match those preferences without the need for an expert to retune.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ4ODIxNTc1NjQ0LWV4by02LTEwMjR4NzY4LmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">By allowing the user to directly manipulate the exoskeleton&rsquo;s settings using a tablet while on a treadmill, preferences that are difficult to detect or measure, such as comfort, could be accounted for by the users themselves. Photo: Courtesy Kim Ingraham&nbsp;&ldquo;To be able to choose and have control over how it feels is going to help with user satisfaction and adoption of these devices in the future,&rdquo; Ingraham said. &ldquo;No matter how much an exoskeleton helps, people won&rsquo;t wear them if they are not enjoyable.&rdquo;To test the feasibility of such a system, the research team outfitted users with Dephy powered ankle exoskeletons and a touch screen interface that displayed a blank grid. Selecting any point on the grid would alter the torque output of the exoskeleton on one axis, while changing the timing of that torque on the alternate axis.When told to find their preference while walking on a treadmill, the set of users who had no previous experience with an exoskeleton were, on average, able to confirm their optimal settings in about one minute, 45 seconds.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ4ODIxNjE2NTYwLWV4by0xLTEwMjR4NjgzLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Researchers were able to give the exoskeleton user direct control to tune its behavior, allowing them to find the right torque and timing settings for themselves. Photo: University of Michigan Robotics Institute&nbsp;&ldquo;We were surprised at how precisely people were able to identify their preferences, especially because they were totally blinded to everything that was happening&mdash;we didn&rsquo;t tell them what parameters they were tuning, so they were only selecting their preferences based on how they felt the device was assisting them,&rdquo; Ingraham said.In addition, user preference changed over the course of the experiment. As the first-time users gained more experience with the exoskeleton, they preferred a higher level of assistance. And, those already experienced with exoskeletons preferred a much greater level of assistance than the first-time users.&nbsp;These findings could help determine how often retuning of an exoskeleton needs to be done as a user gains experience and supports the idea of incorporating direct user input into preference for the best experience.&ldquo;This is fundamental work in exploring how to incorporate people&rsquo;s preference into exoskeleton control,&rdquo; said <a href="https://me.engin.umich.edu/people/faculty/elliott-rouse/" target="_blank">Elliott Rouse</a>, senior author of the study, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and a core faculty member of the Robotics Institute. &ldquo;This work is motivated by our desire to develop exoskeletons that go beyond the laboratory and have a transformative impact on society.&nbsp;&ldquo;Next is answering why people prefer what they prefer, and how these preferences affect their energy, their muscle activity, and their physiology, and how we could automatically implement preference-based control in the real world. It&rsquo;s important that assistive technologies provide a meaningful benefit to their user.&rdquo;

Leo Medrano, a PhD student in the Neurobionics Lab at the University of Michigan, tests out an ankle exoskeleton on a two-track treadmill. Photo: University of Michigan Robotics Institute

Users who could adjust the timing, torque of an ankle exoskeleton typically found comfortable settings in under two minutes.

Exoskeletons with personalize-your-own settings

The images made headlines around the world in late 2018. David Mzee, who had been left paralyzed by a partial spinal cord injury suffered in a sports accident, got up from his wheelchair and began to walk with the help of a walker. This was the first proof that Courtine and Bloch’s system – which uses electrical stimulation to reactivate spinal neurons – could work effectively in patients.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wUADfnCMdc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 767px; height: 437px;"></iframe>Fast forward three years, and a new milestone has just been reached. The research team led by both Courtine, a professor at EPFL, and Bloch, a professor and neurosurgeon at CHUV, has enhanced their system with more sophisticated implants controlled by artificial-intelligence software. These implants can stimulate the region of the spinal cord that activates the trunk and leg muscles. Thanks to this new technology, three patients with complete spinal cord injury were able to walk again outside the lab. “Our stimulation algorithms are still based on imitating nature,” says Courtine. “And our new, soft implanted leads are designed to be placed underneath the vertebrae, directly on the spinal cord. They can modulate the neurons regulating specific muscle groups. By controlling these implants, we can activate the spinal cord like the brain would do naturally to have the patient stand, walk, swim or ride a bike, for example.”<h2>Activating motor sequences at the push of a button</h2>On a cold, snowy day last December, Michel Roccati – an Italian man who became paralyzed after a motorcycle accident four years earlier – braved the icy wind to try out the system outdoors, in central Lausanne. He had recently undergone the surgical procedure in which Bloch placed the new, implanted lead on his spinal cord. Scientists from the Courtine and Bloch’s .NeuroRestore research center were with him, helping to prepare the demonstration. They attached two small remote controls to Michel’s walker and connected them wirelessly to a tablet that forwards the signals to a pacemaker in Michel’s abdomen. The pacemaker in turn relays the signals to the implanted spinal lead that stimulates specific neurons, causing Michel to move. When he was ready, Michel grasped the walker and set off. He pressed the button on the right side of the walker with the firm intention of taking a step forward with his left leg. His left foot rose like magic and fell to the ground a few centimeters ahead. He then did the same thing with the button on his left side, and his right foot moved forward. He was walking! “The first few steps were incredible – a dream come true!” he says. “I’ve been through some pretty intense training in the past few months, and I’ve set myself a series of goals. For instance, I can now go up and down stairs, and I hope to be able to walk one kilometer by this spring.”<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1644544468002-ezgif-5-e5d9eb5e93.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Michel Roccati stands up and walks in Lausanne. © EPFL / Alain Herzog 2021&nbsp;Two other patients have also successfully tested the new system, which is described in an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01663-5" rel="noopener" target="_blank">article appearing today in Nature Medicine</a>. “Our breakthrough here is the longer, wider implanted leads with electrodes arranged in a way that corresponds exactly to the spinal nerve roots,” says Bloch. “That gives us precise control over the neurons regulating specific muscles.” Ultimately, it allows for greater selectivity and accuracy in controlling the motor sequences for a given activity.<h2>One day is all it takes</h2>Extensive training is obviously necessary for patients to get comfortable using the device. But the pace and scope of rehabilitation is amazing. “All three patients were able to stand, walk, pedal, swim and control their torso movements in just one day, after their implants were activated!” says Courtine. “That’s thanks to the specific stimulation programs we wrote for each type of activity. Patients can select the desired activity on the tablet, and the corresponding protocols are relayed to the pacemaker in the abdomen.”<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1644544498412-ezgif-5-2264b1550c.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Thanks to his implant, Michel Roccati can now stand to enjoy a drink. © EPFL / Alain Herzog 2021&nbsp;While the progress achievable in a single day is astonishing, the gains after several months are even more impressive. The three patients followed a training regimen based on the stimulation programs and were able to regain muscle mass, move around more independently, and take part in social activities like having a drink standing at a bar. What’s more, because the technology is miniaturized, the patients can perform their training exercises outdoors and not only inside a lab.“This study further demonstrates the benefits of our approach,” says Courtine. “We’re now working with <a href="http://onwd.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ONWARD Medical</a>, which recently listed on Euronext, to turn our discoveries into genuine treatments that can improve the lives of thousands of people around the world.”<hr>ReferencesActivity-dependent spinal cord neuromodulation rapidly restores trunk and leg motor functions after complete paralysis, Nature Medicine, February 7 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01663-5

A system developed by Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch now enables patients with a complete spinal cord injury to stand, walk and even perform recreational activities like swimming, cycling and canoeing. 

New implant offers promise for the paralyzed

In this episode, we reflect on some of our favorite topics from 2021 and discuss the goals for the podcast in 2022. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/62d15047-acbe-446a-9460-0396f1e1664c?dark=false" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> <hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1641368733077-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(2:40) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/2-boom-brings-back-supersonic-using-ai-to-beat-tb-5g-is-messing-up-weather-forecasts" target="_blank">Episode 2</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/boom---the-future-of-supersonic-flight" target="_blank">Boom – The Future of Supersonic Flight</a>(6:05) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/8-eliminating-emissions-with-iot-shapeshifting-fabrics-fuel-cell-flight" target="_blank">Episode 8</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/cutting-vehicle-emissions-and-inspections-via-iot" target="_blank">Eliminating Emission Inspections Via IoT</a>(10:09) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/28-ai-policing-social-media-marsquakes-preventing-lead-poisoning-from-solar-panels" target="_blank">Episode 28</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/advancing-to-the-core-thanks-to-marsquakes" target="_blank">Marsquakes Shed Light On The Red Planet’s Origins</a>(13:40) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/39-the-ev-youll-never-have-to-charge" target="_blank">Episode 39</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-3d-printed-hypercar-that-beat-the-best" target="_blank">The 3D Printed Car That Beat The Best</a>(16:45) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/35-the-shrimp-thatll-enable-super-robots" target="_blank">Episode 35</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/robot-mimics-the-powerful-punch-of-the-mantis-shrimp" target="_blank">Robot Mimics Mantis Shrimp</a>(20:00) -&nbsp;<a href="https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/42-worlds-most-advanced-prosthetics" target="_blank">Episode 42</a> -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/walking-on-the-worlds-most-advanced-prosthetics-in-the-jungles-of-guatemala" target="_blank">World’s Most Advanced Prosthetics</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!Take a few seconds to leave us a review. It really helps!&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2</a>If you do it and send us proof, we’ll give you a shoutout on the show.

prosthetics and bionics