SCH: INT: Virtual Neuroprosthesis: Restoring Autonomy to People Suffering From Neurotrauma

通过重新连接以前被切断的触觉，神经修复术领域具有巨大的潜力，可以大大改善全球数百万截肢者和残疾人的生活。然而，相对于机器人的其他领域，神经假肢的开发进展速度相对缓慢，主要原因有两个：涉及人类受试者神经植入物的研究非常昂贵，并且需要经过漫长的过程才能获得FDA批准将电极植入人类受试者。因此，该项目的总体目标是开发一种虚拟神经假体，其中神经植入物的传真被外部化并容纳在一个控制良好的微流体室中，从而减轻神经植入物高度侵入性研究的内在限制。将招募上肢截肢者受试者，通过肌电信号控制灵巧的假手和手臂，同时测量脑电波（EEG）信号。机器人的握力测量将被生物仿生学转换成类似于周围神经系统中发现的电脉冲来催化。神经损伤后的体外神经再生。这个多学科项目的协同贡献将导致人类-机器人系统内神经可塑性的共生相互作用的变革性理解。目前，还没有系统的了解触觉反馈信号如何有助于传入神经通路的神经再生，以恢复躯体感觉和改善装有神经假肢的截肢者的运动功能。解决这个问题将是神经修复学这一重要领域的重大突破。拟议中的虚拟神经假体将更加便宜，并且更容易获得IRB批准，以进行人类受试者的研究。通过这一点，研究团队可以以一小部分成本对人类受试者进行有意义的神经假体实验，同时更快地积累重要数据。

By reconnecting the previously severed sense of touch, the field of neuroprosthetics has tremendous potential to substantially improve the lives of millions of amputees and disabled people worldwide. However, the rate of progress to develop neuroprosthetic limbs has been comparatively slow relative to other areas of robotics for two primary reasons: research involving neural implants with human subjects is very expensive and a lengthy process is required to obtain FDA approval to implant electrodes in human subjects. Thus, the overall goal of this project is to develop a virtual neuroprosthesis in which a facsimile of a neural implant is externalized and housed in a well-controlled microfluidic chamber, thereby abating the intrinsic limitations of highly invasive studies with neural implants. Upper limb amputee subjects will be recruited to control a dexterous artificial hand and arm with electromyogram signals while electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are simultaneously measured. Robotic grip force measurements will be biomimetically converted into electrical pulses similar to those found in the peripheral nervous system to catalyze in. vitro nerve regeneration after neurotrauma. The synergistic contributions of this multidisciplinary project will lead to a transformative understanding of the symbiotic interaction of neural plasticity within human-robotic systems. Currently, there is no systematic understanding of how tactile feedback signals can contribute to the neural regeneration of afferent neural pathways to restore somatosensation and improve motor function in amputees fitted with neuroprosthetic limbs. Tackling this problem will be a significant breakthrough for the important field of neuroprosthetics. The proposed virtual neuroprosthesis will be much less expensive and vastly simpler to obtain IRB approval to conduct research with human subjects. Through this, the research team can conduct meaningful neuroprosthetic experiments with human subjects at a fraction of the cost while accumulating significant data much quicker.