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Hand-Exoskeleton Moves With Enhanced Brainwave Control

EPFL scientists are developing a lightweight and portable hand exoskeleton that can be controlled with brainwaves. The device enhances performance of brain-machine interfaces and can restore functional grasps for the physically impaired. Metal cables act as soft tendons along the back-side of each finger, leaving the palm free in order to maximize sensations felt by the hand. A chest-pack contains motors that can push and pull on the different cables, flexing the fingers when the cables are pushed and extending them when pulled. The scientists pursued brainwave-control of the exoskeleton via an EEG headset that measures the users' brainwaves as they used the exoskeleton. They found that the hand motions induced by the device elicit brain patterns typical of healthy hand motions. But they also discovered that exoskeleton-induced hand motions combined with a user-driven brain-machine interface lead to peculiar brain patterns. The scientists believe that the brain activity emerging from the combination of voluntary control and coherent feedback provided by the device could be exploited for improving brain control of these devices.

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Automation Electronics & Computers Measuring Instruments Medical Motion Control Robotics Sensors Test & Measurement

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    Transcript

    00:00:02 we have developed a novel exoskeleton for the hunt that people with physical disabilities can operate via a brain machine interface the novel aspects of this hand exoskeleton consists of on the one side the design that is very light and wearable and on the other hand the fact that this hand exoskeleton not only induces the same range of motions as the natural hand but also induces brain

    00:00:35 patterns of activity that are similar to when a healthy person operates the hand the main idea behind the device was to develop an exhaust kilotonnes lightweight and portable as possible so that it can be used directly at home and during activities of daily living this device there is based on artificial tendons so the actuation itself has been just put on the dorsal side of the hand

    00:01:00 so that the palm is left free and the somato sensation is preserved when grasping and manipulating objects these artificial tendons are based on a soft components here at the finger level that can elongate and retract and they go all the way down to this chest back where we placed the actuators the control unit and the energy storage unit we exemplified the control of the device by

    00:01:28 means of a brain-computer interface the device itself can be controlled by means of different signals for example electromyography or voice control or gaze the control itself can be adapted to the residual capabilities of the user we are working with now that we have verified the exoskeleton with people suffering from different kind of disabilities due to a spinal cord injury

    00:01:52 or a stroke the next step is to develop complete systems that will allow them to operate these exoskeletons via the premature interface either as an assistive tool or even as a rehabilitation