Brain Machine Interface for Controlling Neuroprosthesis for Reaching and Grasping

神经假体是一种使用突发低能量电脉冲来产生肌肉收缩的设备。如果脉搏被正确地排序，它们可以在瘫痪的个体中产生诸如伸手、抓握和行走等动作。自2001年以来，我们的团队投入了大量的智力资本来开发用于伸展和抓取的神经假体。我们的技术与其他类似系统的不同之处在于，我们的神经假体不是用作永久性矫形器，患者需要随时使用才能接触和抓住。取而代之的是，我们使用神经假体作为一种短期的治疗干预，帮助中风和脊髓损伤患者对他们的中枢神经系统进行重新编程，并重新学习如何自己接触和抓住物体。我们将这种使用神经假体的新方法称为功能性电刺激疗法(FEST)。在FEST之后，在移除神经假体后，患者能够在没有设备帮助的情况下自行伸手和抓住。

Neuroprostheses are devices that use bursts of low energy electrical pulses to generate muscle contractions. If the pulses are properly sequenced they can generate movements such as reaching, grasping and walking in individuals who are paralyzed. Since 2001, our team invested considerable amounts of intellectual capital to develop neuroprostheses for reaching and grasping. What differentiates our technology from other similar systems is that our neuroprostheses are not used as permanent orthoses patients need to use at all times to reach and grasp. Instead, we use neuroprosthesis as a short-term therapeutic intervention that helps stroke and spinal cord injury patients “reprogram” their central nervous system, and relearn how to reach and grasp objects on their own. We call this new way of using neuroprstheses the Functional Electrical Stimulation Therapy (FEST). Following FEST and after the neuroprosthesis is removed, the patients are able to reach and grasp on their own without help from the device.