This hand exoskeleton for people with paralysis can be controlled by brainwaves
It is hoped the device will allow people with limited mobility to complete meaningful daily tasks.
People with limited mobility or paralysis could be able to use their hands again thanks to a robotic exoskeleton which can be controlled by brainwaves.
The lightweight and portable devices are being developed in the Geneva lab of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and can restore functional grasps for those with physical impairments.
It is hoped that refined versions of the kit will allow people to complete meaningful daily tasks.
It is attached to the hand via a Velcro cuff and Velcro loops on the fingers.
It is also linked to an EEG headset which measures users’ brainwaves but can also be operated via voice commands directed to a smartphone or eye-movement monitoring, depending on the wearer’s needs.
The open design of the exoskeleton means the inside of the hand – the palm and fingertips – remains uncovered to allow a user to be able to grasp and work with objects and maximise sensations.
The chest-pack contains motors which can push and pull on the different cables, flexing the fingers when the cables are pushed and extending them when pulled.
“But they also discovered that exoskeleton-induced hand motions combined with a user-driven brain machine interface lead to peculiar brain patterns that could actually facilitate control of the device.”
“Feedback is provided by the user’s perception of position and movement of the hand, and this proprioception is essential.”
The hand-exoskeleton has been tested with patients with disabilities due to strokes and spinal cord injuries. The next steps involve improving the system both for assistive purposes, for performing tasks at home, or even as a tool for rehabilitation.
“The hope is that by combining seamless human-machine interfaces and portable devices, these kinds of systems could enable and promote functional use in meaningful daily tasks,” added Randazzo.
