CONTROLLING HAND PROSTHESES USING PERIPHERAL INTRANEURAL
INTERFACES
Silvestro Micera
The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
Institute for Automation, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
INTRODUCTION
The development of more effective approaches to
control dexterous hand prostheses is an important area of
research that is currently addressed by several research
groups. Among the possible solutions to achieve this goal,
interfaces with the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in
particular intraneural electrodes can represent an interesting
choice. In fact, they can provide an intimate and selective
connection with the PNS without increasing in a significant
way the invasiveness [1]. In this paper some recent research
activities pursued by my team on this topic are briefly
summarized.
DECODING OF GRASPING INFORMATION FROM
INTRANEURAL SIGNALS
To verify the potentials of intraneural electrodes to
decode grasping information, a thin-film longitudinal
intrafascicular electrode (tf-LIFE, Fraunhofer Institute for
Biomedical Engineering) was implanted in a right-handed
male (P.P.) who suffered left arm trans-radial amputation
due to a car accident 2 years ago. An algorithm able to sort
spikes from the PNS ENG signals was used to verify the
possibility to decode grasping information [2].
Results indicate that the combined used of tf-LIFEs and
advanced signal processing/stimulation techniques allow
identify different grip types usable to control a prosthetic
device [2]. The possibility of delivering sensory feedback
was also confirmed [3]. Moreover, training and learning
capabilities of human-interface interaction, together with a
progressive reorganization of the input/output characteristic
of the sensorimotor areas previously governing the lost limb
were shown.
Finally, the possibility of combining EEG and ENG
signals to increase the decoding ability has been also
recently shown [4].
DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL INTERFACES
Current intraneural interfaces can already provide
interesting results in terms of decoding and encoding ability
but it still necessary to increase their selectivity, stability,
and chronic usability. For this reason, we are investigating
alternative solutions such as the “self-opening” [5] and
“movable” intraneural electrodes [6], which could address
some of these issues (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: The self-opening (top, [5]) and the movable
intraneural electrodes (bottom, [6]).
The possibility of developing more effective
intraneural interfaces by using hybrid FEM/biophysical
models has been also investigated [7].
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Intraneural interfaces with the PNS can represent a
suitable way to create a natural and bi-directional link
between the nervous system and artificial limbs.
However, additional efforts are necessary to completely
characterize the potentials and limits of this approach and its
clinical chronic usability. We are currently pursuing several
approaches in order to address these issues.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported in part by the European Union
(EU) within the TIME Project (FP7-ICT – 2007-224012,
From "MEC 11 Raising the Standard," Proceedings of the 2011 MyoElectric Controls/Powered Prosthetics Symposium Fredericton,
New Brunswick, Canada: August 14-19, 2011. Copyright University of New Brunswick.
Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License by
UNB and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, through a partnership with Duke University and the Open Prosthetics Project.
Transverse, Intrafascicular Multichannel Electrode system
for induction of sensation and treatment of phantom limb
pain in amputees).
This work was carried out by several students and post-
doc who are currently working or worked with me (L. Citi,
J. Rigosa, J. Carpaneto, S. Raspopovic, M. Capogrosso, S.
Bossi, A. Cutrone, P.N. Sergi). The implantation was
carried out by the group of Prof. Paolo Maria Rossini
(Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy).
REFERENCES
[1] S. Micera, X. Navarro, et al. “On the use of longitudinal
intrafascicular peripheral interfaces for the control of cybernetic hand
prostheses in amputees”. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2008,
16:453-47.
[2] S. Micera, L. Citi, J. Rigosa et al., “Decoding Information From
Neural Signals Recorded Using Intraneural Electrodes: Toward the
Development of a Neurocontrolled Hand Prosthesis”, Proc IEEE, vol.
98, no. 3, pp. 407-417, 2010.
[3] P.M. Rossini, S. Micera , et al. “Double nerve intraneural interface
implant on a human amputee for robotic hand control”. Clin
Neurophysiol 2010, 121:777-783.
[4] M. Tombini et al., “Combined Analysis of Cortical (EEG) and
Nerve Stump Signals Improves Robotic Hand Control,” Neural
Rehab Neural Repair, 2011 in press.
[5] A. Cutrone, S. Bossi, P.N. Sergi, S. Micera, “Modelization of a
self-opening peripheral neural interface: a feasibility study”, Med Eng
Phys, 2011, in press.
[6] S. Bossi, 56. S. Bossi, S. Kammer, T. Dorge, A. Menciassi,
K.P.,Hoffmann, S. Micera, “An Implantable Microactuated
Intrafascicular Electrode for Peripheral Nerves”, IEEE Trans Biomed
Eng, vol. 56, no. 11, pp. 2701-2706, 2009.
[7] S. Raspopovic, M. Capogrosso, S. Micera, “A Computational
Model for the Stimulation of Rat Sciatic Nerve Using a Transverse
Intrafascicular Multichannel Electrode”, IEEE Trans Neural Sys
Rehab Eng, 2011, in press.
From "MEC 11 Raising the Standard," Proceedings of the 2011 MyoElectric Controls/Powered Prosthetics Symposium Fredericton,
New Brunswick, Canada: August 14-19, 2011. Copyright University of New Brunswick.
Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License by
UNB and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, through a partnership with Duke University and the Open Prosthetics Project.
![Figure 1: The self-opening (top, [5]) and the movable intraneural electrodes (bottom, [6]).](/figures/figure-1-the-self-opening-top-5-and-the-movable-intraneural-2i5uj94m.webp)