A team of researchers presented the first magnetically controlled prosthetic hand, which allows all movements to be reproduced simply by thinking and to control the force applied when grasping fragile objects.
A study by the Santa Ana Superior School in Pisa (Italy), published by “Science Robotics” and reported by EFE, describes the prosthesis, which has no cables or electrical connection, only magnets and muscles control the movements of the fingers and allow everyday activities like opening a jar.
The researchers pointed out that it is a way to control the movements of a robotic hand, and the volunteer with whom it has been tested, named Daniel, stated, quoted in a statement: “It is as if I were moving my own hand.”
The team developed a new interface to connect the amputee’s arm with the robotic hand to decode motor intentions.
The idea behind the new interface is to use magnets of a few millimeters that are implanted in the residual muscles of the amputated arm and use the movement resulting from the contraction to open and close the fingers.
The prosthesis was tested for six weeks by Daniel, 34, who lost his left hand in 2022 and for whom this new system allowed him to “recover lost sensations and emotions” and made him feel as if he were moving his own hand.
Daniel was selected as a volunteer because he still felt the presence of his hand, and the residual muscles in his arm responded to his intentions to move.
There are 20 muscles in the forearm and many of them control the movements of the hand. Many people who have lost one “continue to feel it as if it were in place and the residual muscles move in response to the brain’s commands,” explained Christian Cipriani. , main author of the research.
The team mapped the movements and translated them into signals to guide the fingers of the robotic hand. Magnets have a natural magnetic field that can be easily localized in space and when the muscle contracts, the magnet moves and a special algorithm translates that change into a specific command for the robotic hand.
Daniel underwent surgery in 2023 to implant six magnets in his arm, for which the team and surgeons had to locate and isolate each muscle, place the magnet and check that the magnetic field was oriented in the same way.
The results of the experiment “far exceeded the most optimistic expectations,” the statement said and specified that the patient was able to control the movements of his fingers.
He was able to grasp and move objects of different shapes, performed classic everyday actions such as opening a jar, using a screwdriver, cutting with a knife or closing a zipper, and was able to control force when he had to grasp fragile objects.
Cipriani added that the team is prepared to extend these results to a broader range of amputations.
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2024-10-01 11:52:24
