86 research outputs found
Novel Wearable Device for Mindful Sensorimotor Training: Integrating Motor Decoding and Somatosensory Stimulation for Neurorehabilitation
No full text: Sensorimotor impairment is a prevalent condition requiring effective rehabilitation strategies. This study introduces a novel wearable device for Mindful Sensorimotor Training (MiSMT) designed for sensory and motor rehabilitation. Our MiSMT device combines motor training using myoelectric pattern recognition along sensory training using two tactile displays. This device offers a comprehensive solution, integrating electromyography and haptic feedback, lacking in existing devices. The device features eight electromyography channels, a rechargeable battery, and wireless Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity for seamless communication with a computer or mobile device. Its flexible material allows for adaptability to various body parts, ensuring ease of use in diverse patients. The two tactile displays, with 16 electromagnetic actuators each, provide touch and vibration sensations up to 250 Hz. In this proof-of-concept study, we show improved two-point discrimination after 5 training sessions in participants with intact limbs (p=0.047). We also demonstrated successful acquisition, processing, and decoding of myoelectric signals in offline and online evaluations. In conclusion, the MiSMT device presents a promising tool for sensorimotor rehabilitation by combining motor execution and sensory training benefits. Further studies are required to assess its effectiveness in individuals with sensorimotor impairments. Integrating mindful sensory and motor training with innovative technology can enhance rehabilitation outcomes and improve the quality of life for those with sensorimotor impairments
Improved control of a prosthetic limb by surgically creating electro-neuromuscular constructs with implanted electrodes
No full text: Remnant muscles in the residual limb after amputation are the most common source of control signals for prosthetic hands, because myoelectric signals can be generated by the user at will. However, for individuals with amputation higher up the arm, such as an above-elbow (transhumeral) amputation, insufficient muscles remain to generate myoelectric signals to enable control of the lost arm and hand joints, thus making intuitive control of wrist and finger prosthetic joints unattainable. We show that severed nerves can be divided along their fascicles and redistributed to concurrently innervate different types of muscle targets, particularly native denervated muscles and nonvascularized free muscle grafts. We engineered these neuromuscular constructs with implanted electrodes that were accessible via a permanent osseointegrated interface, allowing for bidirectional communication with the prosthesis while also providing direct skeletal attachment. We found that the transferred nerves effectively innervated their new targets as shown by a gradual increase in myoelectric signal strength. This allowed for individual flexion and extension of all five fingers of a prosthetic hand by a patient with a transhumeral amputation. Improved prosthetic function in tasks representative of daily life was also observed. This proof-of-concept study indicates that motor neural commands can be increased by creating electro-neuromuscular constructs using distributed nerve transfers to different muscle targets with implanted electrodes, enabling improved control of a limb prosthesis
BEEYOND - Foundation of the Company & Market Entry
No full textThis bachelor thesis depicts the author's journey over the last months, from the discovery of a business idea inspired by an innovative blockchain application over the creation of a solid concept in the form of a business plan to the development & implementation on a strategic as well as functional level. By applying his theoretical knowledge acquired in the Major "International Entrepreneurship", the author gained the necessary skillset to establish the company, develop the market entry strategy and begin with its practical implementation
From sequential to simultaneous prosthetic control: Decoding simultaneous finger movements from individual ground truth EMG patterns
No full textMyoelectric bionic limbs hold the promise of restoring functionality and improving life quality for people with amputation. With recent advances in surgical reconstruction, which created additional signal sites for myoelectric control, intuitively controlling all fingers of a prosthetic hand became a possibility. To fully utilize a multiple degree of freedom (DoF) bionic hand, the fingers need to be controllable both individually and simultaneously. However, training algorithms to decode motor intent typically requires large sets of labeled data. This data requirement grows combinatorically with each additional DoF, complicating the training process for multi-DoF control. Here, we evaluated a method to create labeled simultaneous data from linearly combining individual movement data. We found that a classifier trained on such artificial data performed equivalently in decoding 3 DoF real-time finger movement to a classifier trained on ground truth data. However, its effectiveness diminishes with more complex tasks, i.e., 5 DoF finger control. In both cases, linearly combining individual movements decreased the time to acquire labeled data to train the classifier by up to 85%
Learning and Earning: a comparison of first year and final year Business School students’ salary expectations
No full textClinical safety of the ProMRI implantable cardioverter-defibrillator systems during head and lower lumbar magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T: results of the ProMRI 3T ENHANCED Master study
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A highly integrated bionic hand with neural control and feedback for use in daily life
No full textRestoration of sensorimotor function after amputation has remained challenging because of the lack of human-machine interfaces that provide reliable control, feedback, and attachment. Here, we present the clinical implementation of a transradial neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis—a bionic hand connected directly to the user’s nervous and skeletal systems. In one person with unilateral below-elbow amputation, titanium implants were placed intramedullary in the radius and ulna bones, and electromuscular constructs were created surgically by transferring the severed nerves to free muscle grafts. The native muscles, free muscle grafts, and ulnar nerve were implanted with electrodes. Percutaneous extensions from the titanium implants provided direct skeletal attachment and bidirectional communication between the implanted electrodes and a prosthetic hand. Operation of the bionic hand in daily life resulted in improved prosthetic function, reduced postamputation, and increased quality of life. Sensations elicited via direct neural stimulation were consistently perceived on the phantom hand throughout the study. To date, the patient continues using the prosthesis in daily life. The functionality of conventional artificial limbs is hindered by discomfort and limited and unreliable control. Neuromusculoskeletal interfaces can overcome these hurdles and provide the means for the everyday use of a prosthesis with reliable neural control fixated into the skeleton
The rubber hand illusion is a fallible method to study ownership of prosthetic limbs
No full textEnabling sensory feedback in limb prostheses can reverse a damaged body image caused by amputation. The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a popular paradigm to study ownership of artificial limbs and potentially useful to assess sensory feedback strategies. We investigated the RHI as means to induce ownership of a prosthetic hand by providing congruent visual and tactile stimuli. We elicited tactile sensations via electric stimulation of severed afferent nerve fibres in four participants with transhumeral amputation. Contrary to our expectations, they failed to experience the RHI. The sensations we elicited via nerve stimulation resemble tapping as opposed to stroking, as in the original RHI. We therefore investigated the effect of tapping versus stroking in 30 able-bodied subjects. We found that either tactile modality equally induced ownership in two-thirds of the subjects. Failure to induce the RHI in the intact hand of our participants with amputation later confirmed that they form part of the RHI-immune population. Conversely, these participants use neuromusculoskeletal prostheses with neural sensory feedback in their daily lives and reported said prostheses as part of their body. Our findings suggest that people immune to the RHI can nevertheless experience ownership over prosthetic limbs when used in daily life and accentuates a significant limitation of the RHI paradigm
Quick scan alternatieve veiligheidsmaatregelen
No full textDijken en duinen beschermen Nederland tegen overstroming vanuit de rivieren en de zee. Zeespiegelstijging en meer en extremere stormen als gevolg van de klimaatverandering noodzaken tot het treffen van aanvullende maatregelen. Nog meer bepalend is de achterstand in het beschermingsniveau tegen overstromingen door de toenemende omvang en waardegroei van het te beschermen goed en toegenomen bevolking. De huidige normen lijken niet meer adequaat te zijn. Om te komen tot een nieuwe veiligheidsbenadering moet verder worden gekeken dan de reguliere veiligheidsmaatregelen. Vandaar dat verschillende alternatieve veiligheidsmaatregelen in deze voorliggende quick scan nader worden bekeken. Onder alternatieve maatregelen worden verstaan alle maatregelen anders dan de traditionele versterking en verhoging van de (hoofd)waterkeringen. Alternatieve maatregelen kunnen zowel nieuwe als reeds bestaande - maar nog niet regulier toegepaste - maatregelen zijn. Deze quick scan brengt in kaart welke informatie er beschikbaar is over de alternatieve veiligheidsmaatregelen, waar de informatie gevonden kan worden en welke personen en organisaties kennis hebben over of betrokken zijn bij de maatregelen. De quick scan maakt tevens inzichtelijk waar informatie ontbreekt. Dit is vastgelegd in een factsheet per maatregel. Van alle maatregelen is een inschatting gemaakt van de kansrijkheid, gebaseerd op een (globale) beoordeling van de effectiviteit en haalbaarheid van de betreffende maatregel. Bij de beoordeling van de kansrijkheid zijn relevante kanttekeningen (aannames, orde groottes, onzekerheden) geplaatst. Geconcludeerd kan worden dat alle maatregelen die genoemd worden in deze quick scan waardevol zijn om serieus in overweging te nemen bij verdere verkenning van de nieuwe waterveiligheidsstrategie. In aanvulling daarop kan worden opgemerkt dat, gegeven de opzet van deze quick scan en de gehanteerde uitgangspunten, de beoordeling van de kansrijkheid met name gericht is op de korte termijn. Maatregelen die pas na een lange procedure of vanwege hun omvang pas op lange termijn kunnen worden toegepast, scoren op basis van deze uitgangspunten minder goed. Het is denkbaar dat dergelijke maatregelen (als ze bijvoorbeeld kosteneffectief blijken te zijn) wel goed binnen een lange termijn-strategie passen. Ten slotte dient opgemerkt te worden dat in deze quick scan niet gekeken is naar het combineren van afzonderlijke maatregelen. Aanbevolen wordt om de wisselwerking met andere maatregelen te betrekken bij toekomstige afweging voor het toepassen van één of meer maatregelen
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