Fundamentals for Motor Control of Robotic Augmentation

AUGMENT专注于控制运动增强技术的独特挑战。我们正在目睹一种新型技术的兴起，这种技术的设计目的是在功能上类似于人类的四肢。这些额外的手指和手臂是机器人设备，旨在扩展用户的运动能力（以下称为X设备）。除了传统的缺失功能替代之外，X设备还可以进一步开发，为已经功能齐全的个人提供额外的运动功能。但是，除了我们自己的肢体之外，我们还可以利用什么认知和生理资源来控制额外的肢体呢？AUGMENT的目标是利用对人类运动学习和控制的基本理解，指导X设备在残疾人和残疾人中的成功技术开发。一个紧迫的问题是如何提供运动命令和体感反馈，并从X设备，而不限制生物肢体的认知和运动控制。我将通过首先确定最适合成功的X设备运动控制的神经认知机制来解决这个问题。然后，我将研究从X设备体感信息的最佳整合，以提供直观和可转移的运动技能学习。最后，我将提供创新的解决方案，以增加残疾人在日常生活中的功能，超越传统的替代品，使用新颖的X设备。通过识别和解决不同用户群体和功能需求的基本感觉运动人机界面挑战，AUGMENT将对实现运动增强和其他相关技术至关重要，这些技术旨在将用户置于机器人控制，设计和开发的中心。

AUGMENT is centred around the unique challenge of controlling motor augmentation technology. We are witnessing the rise of a novel class of technologies, designed to resemble human limbs in their functionalities. These extra fingers and arms are robotic devices that are designed to extend the user's motor capabilities (hereafter X-devices). Beyond the traditional substitution of missing functions, X-devices can be further exploited to provide additional motor functions to already fully functional individuals. But what cognitive and physiological resources could we utilise to control extra limbs, in addition to our own? The goal of AUGMENT is to harness basic understanding of human motor learning and control to guide successful technological development of X-devices in abled and disabled individuals. An urgent question is how to provide motor commands and somatosensory feedback to and from the X-device without restricting the cognitive and motor control of the biological limbs. I will address this by first identifying the neurocognitive mechanisms best suited for successful X-devices motor control. Then I will investigate the optimal integration of somatosensory information from the X-device to afford intuitive and transferable motor skill learning. Finally, I will provide innovative solutions for increasing the functionality of disabled individuals in daily life, beyond traditional substitution, using novel X-devices. By identifying and solving the fundamental sensorimotor human-device interface challenges across diverse user groups and functional needs, AUGMENT will be crucial for the realisation of motor augmentation and other related technologies that aim to put the user at the centre of robot control, design and development.