Scientists are approaching something that wouldn't look out of place in a science fiction movie. That is, bionic limbs that can sense and transmit touch to the user.
In a new study published this week Researchers have launched a bionic hand system that they report can simulate the most complex tactile sensation ever. Scientists from the Cortical Bionics Research Group have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) device that has been tested in volunteers with spinal cord injuries.
In various experiments Researchers were able to translate and convey sensations related to movement, curvature and alignment, which allowed volunteers to perform complex tasks with their bionic limbs. The researchers say their device has reached a new level of artificial sensing.
I already have some. important progress in prosthetic and bionic limb technology in recent years. But these current limbs are far from being able to fully approximate the complex nature of human touch. Some scientists have begun using intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the brain's somatosensory cortex to bridge this gap. This is because experiments have shown that such stimulation can create vivid tactile sensations on people's skin. According to educational researcher Giacomo Valle, early efforts at ICMS were largely focused on establishing location and intensity of sensation. But there is so much more to emotion than just these two aspects.
“Although position and contact force are important response elements, But the sense of touch is much more complete than this. It can also convey information about the surface. Material properties Spot shape and also about the movement of objects across the skin. Without these many feelings Artificial contact will still be significantly poorer,” Valle told Gizmodo of their new study. published Thursday scienceValle and his team believe they have taken another important step with ICMS.
Researchers recruited two people with spinal cord injuries to conduct the experiment. Volunteers received the first brain implants in the sensory and motor areas of the brain that control the hands and arms. Researchers have recorded and decoded the patterns. of the electrical activity generated by the volunteers' brains through these implants. Once they thought about using the paralyzed limb, volunteers were then connected to a BCI device that acted as a bionic limb. with only one thought Volunteers can control limbs that are equipped with sensors that communicate with the brain implant. The researchers were then able to translate and transmit more complex sensations related to touch through the bionic limbs to the volunteers' brain implants.
“At this event, for the first time, research goes beyond anything. This has been done before in the field of brain-computer interfaces. We have conveyed haptic sensations related to orientation, curvature, movement and 3D shape for participants using brain-controlled bionic limbs,” said Valle, a bionics researcher at Chalmers University of Technology. said, “We found a way to print These 'haptic messages' are delivered through micro-stimulation using tiny electrodes in the brain, and we have found a unique way to encode complex sensations. This creates a more vivid sensory response and experience while using the bionic hand.”
Volunteers not only felt more layered sensations, such as touching the edges of objects,–These sensations feel as if they come from one's own hands. The added data also helps volunteers perform complex tasks with the bionic limbs more accurately, such as moving objects from one place to another. And this richness, Valle says, “is critical to achieving the level of dexterity, control, and high-dimensional tactile experience typical of the human hand.”
The researchers noted that these are still early days. More sophisticated sensors and robotic technology, such as artificial skin, are needed to truly capture sensations that researchers can encode and transmit to users, Valle said, and more advanced brain implants are needed to increase the array of sensations. can be stimulated But Valle and his team hope such progress can be made. And bionic limbs that feel truly human are within the realm of possibility.
“Although there are many challenges, But this latest study offers evidence that the path to touch recovery is clearer. From the discovery of each new set We are getting closer to the future. A prosthetic organ is not just a functional tool. But it is also a way of experiencing the world,” he said.
The next phase of Valle and his team's research involves testing the BCI system in a more natural environment, such as a patient's home. And their ultimate goal is to improve the independence and quality of life of people with disabilities.