A new report from an international team said that with the aid of the sensor technology developed by them, the mechanical prosthesis can detect the electrical signals sent by the motor neuron of the spinal cord and make the control of the prosthesis more flexible, which is equivalent to controlling the prosthesis with the idea. The technology is expected to help amputees resume more activity.
Most current mechanical prosthetic products on the market rely on the user to twitch the muscles of the shoulders or arms to control. This mode of operation has poor user experience and limited functions, and can only execute one or two simple grab actions.
The paper, published in the new issue of Nature Biomedical Engineering in the United Kingdom, said researchers from research institutes in Britain, the United States and Austria have worked together to develop a new sensor that enables mechanical prostheses to directly detect movement from the spinal cord The electrical signals emitted by neurons are more precise than those manipulated solely by the muscle twitches. The achievable actions are also more complex and the practicality of mechanical prostheses increases.
Six volunteers were involved in the test, either as amputations from the shoulders or amputated from above the elbows. To test better, volunteers underwent surgery, part of their peripheral nervous system was readjusted and connected to healthy muscles. After a certain amount of training, the volunteers only need to imagine moving the arm to do different actions. The sensor on the prosthesis can receive the electrical signal and analyze it, so as to issue commands to control the movement of the elbow and the prosthetic wrist , Opening and closing the palm and other movements, most of the real arm can achieve the basic functions.
One of the study's authors, Dario Farina, a professor at Imperial College London, said the new technology focuses on the nervous system rather than muscle, meaning sensors can be used to more clearly detect and resolve related signals, allowing the machinery Prosthetic use in the use of more intuitive control, the disabled will be more useful.
The team will conduct a broader clinical trial of this new type of mechanical prosthesis, which is expected to enter the market in the next three years after continuous improvement.
Trough Screw Conveyor,Shaftless Screw Feeder,Shaftless Screw Conveyor,Shaftless Spiral Conveyor
Quantum Conveying Systems Yangzhou Co.,Ltd. , https://www.fkconveyor.com