emPOWER: in-body artificial muscles for physical augmentation, function restoration, patient empowerment and future healthcare

肌肉帮助我们移动，使我们能够与物体和环境互动，并调节关键的内部功能。不幸的是，它们容易受到疾病、衰老和创伤的损害，是各种严重医疗条件的核心因素，包括骨质疏松症(与年龄相关的肌肉质量和功能丧失，肌肉质量在40岁到80岁之间下降30%到50%)、中风、肌肉营养不良、多发性硬化症、软组织癌症、静脉溃疡、糖尿病、退行性肌病和失禁(英国有300万到600万人，24%的老年人患有尿失禁)。Empower Transform Healthcare Technologies 2050计划将通过在体内部署工程机器人人工肌肉辅助，克服当前可穿戴式辅助技术和再生医学的限制，准确地说，在需要它的地方：1。在失去肌肉力量和精确度的老年人中恢复力量和对活动和操作的控制；2.为创伤、中风、大小便失禁和退行性疾病患者恢复可控的肌肉能力。这将通过提高信心、独立性和生活质量，对全身和精神健康产生重大连锁反应，极大地减轻医疗负担，并促进患者重返富有成效和充实的生活。Empower人工肌肉将被设计成弥合基本能量传递现象的纳米级和大量肌肉动作的厘米级之间的差距，并将使用微创(包括机器人辅助)手术和先进的成像技术进行植入，以取代或补充患病的肌肉，根据需要提供短期康复、长期帮助或完全功能恢复。为了实现我们的愿景，我们汇集了软机器人、再生医学、生物接口、智能结构、合成生物学、聚合物化学、自组装、生物打印和组织分析方面的领先专家，以及神经康复、心血管疾病、头颈外科、泌尿外科、老年病学和肌肉骨骼医学。我们将与主要的工业和社会护理合作伙伴一起，在这一变革性项目的五年内提供赋能人工肌肉的基础技术和第一阶段概念验证，从而在2050年及以后带来重大的医疗、经济和社会影响。

Muscles help us move, enable us to interact with objects and the environment, and regulate critical internal functions. Unfortunately, they are susceptible to damage due to disease, ageing and trauma and are a central factor in diverse serious healthcare conditions including sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass and function, where decline in muscle mass between 40 and 80 years ranges from 30% to 50%), stroke, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, soft-tissue cancers, venous ulceration, diabetes, degenerative myopathy and incontinence (between 3 and 6 million people in the UK, and 24% of older people, suffer from urinary incontinence).The emPower Transformative Healthcare Technologies 2050 programme will overcome the limitations of current wearable assistive technologies and regenerative medicine by deploying engineered robotic artificial muscular assistance inside the body, exactly where it is needed, to: 1. restore strength and control in mobility and manipulation in older people who have lost muscle strength and precision; and 2. restore controllable muscular capabilities for sufferers of trauma, stroke, incontinence and degenerative diseases. This will have significant knock-on effects on whole-body and mind health through increased confidence, independence and quality of life, massively reducing the healthcare burden and facilitating the return of sufferers to productive and fulfilling lives. The emPOWER artificial muscles will be engineered to bridge the gap between the nanoscale of fundamental energy transduction phenomena and the centimetre scale of bulk muscle action, and will be implantable using minimally invasive (including robot-assisted) surgery and advanced imaging to replace or supplement ailing muscles, providing short-term rehabilitation, long-term assistance or complete functional restoration as needed.To achieve our vision, we have brought together leading experts in soft robotics, regenerative medicine, bio-interfacing, smart structures, synthetic biology, polymer chemistry, self-assembly, bio-printing and tissue analysis, and clinical partners in neuro-rehabilitation, cardiovascular disease, head and neck surgery, urology, geriatrics and musculoskeletal medicine. Together, and with key industrial and social care partners, we will deliver the foundational technologies and first-stage proof-of-concept of the emPOWER artificial muscles within the five years of this transformative project, leading to major healthcare, economic and social impact to 2050 and beyond.