MIT: Neuroprosthesis of the hand

2021: Market Entry

In mid-August 2021, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as part of a joint project with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, developed neuroprosthesis, the cost of which is about $500. The first patients have already begun to insert such prostheses.

Neuroprosthesis is an inflatable arm made of the elastomer EcoFlex, weighing about a kilogram. The device does not use electric motors, but a pneumatic system that inflates and bends the balloon fingers. As a result, neuroprosthesis can take a different shape to capture objects, which allows a person with an amputated limb to perform a variety of actions, for example, ironing a cat, pouring milk from a bag, or even taking a cupcake from a plate. The device broadcasts the intentions of the owner using a special program "decoding" the EMG signals that the brain sends to the muscles of the injured limb.

Neuroprosthesis of the hand entered the market, the price of which is $500

The prosthesis can even return some sensitivity to the user using a series of pressure sensors. When the user touches or compresses the object, the prosthesis sends an electrical signal to a specific location on the amputated arm. Another advantage of the new neuroprosthesis is its ease of use. In studies, two volunteers found that they learned to write with a pen and move checkers using a prosthesis in just 15 minutes.

This is not yet a ready-to-release product, but its characteristics are already similar or superior to existing neuroprostheses, so we are full of hope, said Professor Xuanhe Zhao, one of the engineers working on the project. - We can create a soft prosthesis that will be available at a very low price for low-income families, and this is a very tempting prospect.

The team behind the project is working to improve design, hoping to improve the decoding of input electrical signals.^[1]

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