The Frontiers of Smart Healthcare Systems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize numerous aspects of human life, with healthcare among the most critical fields set to benefit from this transformation. Medicine remains one of the most challenging, expensive, and impactful sectors, with challenges such as information retrieval, data organization, diagnostic accuracy, and cost reduction. AI is uniquely suited to address these challenges, ultimately improving the quality of life and reducing healthcare costs for patients worldwide.

Biohybrid Robotic Hand to Investigate Tactile Encoding and Sensorimotor Integration.

For people who have experienced a spinal cord injury or an amputation, the recovery of sensation and motor control could be incomplete despite noteworthy advances with invasive neural interfaces. Our objective is to explore the feasibility of a novel biohybrid robotic hand model to investigate aspects of tactile sensation and sensorimotor integration with a pre-clinical research platform. Our new biohybrid model couples an artificial hand with biological neural networks (BNN) cultured in a multichannel microelectrode array (MEA).

Flexible Magnetic Skin Sensor Array for Torsion Perception.

Prosthetic hands help upper limb amputees and people who were born without hands. Currently, these prostheses are rather rudimentary and do not provide adequate sensing capabilities compared to a human hand. People use their natural hands to perceive complex tactile phenomena such as shear and torsion using thousands of mechanoreceptors in their fingertips.

Feeling the beat: a smart hand exoskeleton for learning to play musical instruments.

Individuals who have suffered neurotrauma like a stroke or brachial plexus injury often experience reduced limb functionality. Soft robotic exoskeletons have been successful in assisting rehabilitative treatment and improving activities of daily life but restoring dexterity for tasks such as playing musical instruments has proven challenging. This research presents a soft robotic hand exoskeleton coupled with machine learning algorithms to aid in relearning how to play the piano by 'feeling' the difference between correct and incorrect versions of the same song.

Multichannel Sensorimotor Integration with a Dexterous Artificial Hand.

Background: People use their hands to perform sophisticated tasks like playing a musical instrument by integrating manifold and diverse sensations of touch with motor control strategies. In contrast, prosthetic hands lack the capacity for multichannel haptic feedback and multitasking functionality remains rudimentary. There is a dearth of research exploring the potential of upper limb absent (ULA) people to integrate multiple channels of haptic feedback into dexterous prosthetic hand control strategies.

Human neuromarkers of tactile perception: state of the art in methods and findings.

Tactile perception is a multifaceted sense with complicated convergent/divergent peripheral pathways. Its neuromarkers remain poorly understood, due to the sense's inherent complexity and the confounding factor of intricate motor, cognitive and affective correlates. This gap hinders research evaluating interventions to restore touch in artificial hands.

Robotically Embodied Biological Neural Networks to Investigate Haptic Restoration with Neuroprosthetic Hands.

Neuroprosthetic limbs reconnect severed neural pathways for control of (and increasingly sensation from) an artificial limb. However, the plastic interaction between robotic and biological components is poorly understood. To gain such insight, we developed a novel noninvasive neuroprosthetic research platform that enables bidirectional electrical communications (action, sensory perception) between a dexterous artificial hand and neuronal cultures living in a multichannel microelectrode array (MEA) chamber.

Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Dynamic Plating on Two-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy Fusion Biomechanics.

Background: The limitations of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) are related to mechanical failure of the construct after recurring subsidence and migration. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the maximum rotation of variable angle screws on the range of motion (ROM), cage migration, and subsidence.

Methods: Five finite element models were developed from a C2-C7 cervical spine model.

Multichannel haptic feedback unlocks prosthetic hand dexterity.

Loss of tactile sensations is a major roadblock preventing upper limb-absent people from multitasking or using the full dexterity of their prosthetic hands. With current myoelectric prosthetic hands, limb-absent people can only control one grasp function at a time even though modern artificial hands are mechanically capable of individual control of all five digits. In this paper, we investigated whether people could precisely control the grip forces applied to two different objects grasped simultaneously with a dexterous artificial hand.

Robotic Replica of a Human Spine Uses Soft Magnetic Sensor Array to Forecast Intervertebral Loads and Posture after Surgery.

Cervical disc implants are conventional surgical treatments for patients with degenerative disc disease, such as cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy. However, the surgeon still must determine the candidacy of cervical disc implants mainly from the findings of diagnostic imaging studies, which can sometimes lead to complications and implant failure. To help address these problems, a new approach was developed to enable surgeons to preview the post-operative effects of an artificial disc implant in a patient-specific fashion prior to surgery.

Human-Inspired Robotic Eye-Hand Coordination Enables New Communication Channels Between Humans and Robots.

This paper concerns human-inspired robotic eye-hand coordination algorithms using custom built robotic eyes that were interfaced with a Baxter robot. Eye movement was programmed anthropomorphically based on previously reported research on human eye-hand coordination during grasped object transportation. Robotic eye tests were first performed on a component level where accurate position and temporal control were achieved.

Compliant Underwater Manipulator with Integrated Tactile Sensor for Nonlinear Force Feedback Control of an SMA Actuation System.

Design, sensing, and control of underwater gripping systems remain challenges for soft robotic manipulators. Our study investigates these critical issues by designing a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuation system for a soft robotic finger with a directly 3D-printed stretchable skin-like tactile sensor. SMA actuators were thermomechanically trained to assume a curved finger-like shape when Joule heated, and the flexible multi-layered tactile sensor was directly 3D-printed onto the surface of the fingertip.

Hierarchical Tactile Sensation Integration from Prosthetic Fingertips Enables Multi-Texture Surface Recognition.

Multifunctional flexible tactile sensors could be useful to improve the control of prosthetic hands. To that end, highly stretchable liquid metal tactile sensors (LMS) were designed, manufactured via photolithography, and incorporated into the fingertips of a prosthetic hand. Three novel contributions were made with the LMS.

Cage-screw and anterior plating combination reduces the risk of micromotion and subsidence in multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion-a finite element study.

Background Context: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is widely used to treat patients with spinal disorders, where the cage is a critical component to achieve satisfactory fusion results. However, it is still not clear whether a cage with screws or without screws will be the best choice for long-term fusion as the micromotion (sliding distance) and subsidence (penetration) of the cage still take place repeatedly.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of cage-screws on the biomechanical characteristics of the human spine, implanted cage, and associate hardware by comparing the micromotion and subsidence.

Shape memory alloy tube actuators inherently enable internal fluidic cooling for a robotic finger under force control.

This paper presents the design, control and evaluation of a novel robotic finger actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) tubes which intrinsically afford an internal conduit for fluidic cooling. The SMA tubes are thennomechanically programmed to flex the robotic finger when Joule heated. A superelastic SMA plate provides a spring return motion to extend the finger when cooling liquid is pumped through the internal channel of the SMA tube actuators.

Force and Pressure Control of Soft Robotic Actuators.

Soft Robotic Actuators (SRAs) have piqued the interest of researchers in recent years. SRAs are generally constructed of soft elastomers and use air or water as a mean of actuation. Due to the inherent properties of these actuators, they are ideal for HumanRobot Interactions (HRI), exoskeletons for rehabilitation and for grasping delicate objects.

Thrust force characterization of free-swimming soft robotic jellyfish.

Five unique soft robotic jellyfish were manufactured with eight pneumatic network tentacle actuators extending radially from their centers. These jellyfish robots were able to freely swim untethered in the ocean, to steer from side to side, and to swim through orifices more narrow than the nominal diameter of the jellyfish. Each of the five jellyfish robots were manufactured with a different composition of body and tentacle actuator Shore hardness.

Human-Inspired Reflex to Autonomously Prevent Slip of Grasped Objects Rotated with a Prosthetic Hand.

Autonomously preventing grasped objects from slipping out of prosthetic hands is an important feature for limb-absent people since they cannot directly feel the grip force applied to grasped objects. Oftentimes, a satisfactory grip force in one situation will be inadequate in different situations, such as when the object is rotated or transported. Over time, people develop a grip reflex to prevent slip of grasped objects when they are rotated with respect to gravity by their natural hands.

Direction of Slip Detection for Adaptive Grasp Force Control with a Dexterous Robotic Hand.

A novel method of tactile communication among human-robot and robot-robot collaborative teams is developed for the purpose of adaptive grasp control of dexterous robotic hands. Neural networks are applied to the problem of classifying the direction objects slide against different tactile fingertip sensors in real-time. This ability to classify the direction that an object slides in a dexterous robotic hand was used for adaptive grasp synergy control to afford context dependent robotic reflexes in response to the direction of grasped object slip.

Armband with Soft Robotic Actuators and Vibrotactile Stimulators for Bimodal Haptic Feedback from a Dexterous Artificial Hand.

The haptic sense relies upon a plurality of receptors and pathways to produce a complex perceptual experience of contact, pressure, taps, vibrations and flutters. This complexity is yet to be reproduced in haptic feedback interfaces that are used by people controlling a dexterous robotic hand, be it for limb-absence or teleoperation. The goal of the present bimodal haptic armband is to convey both low-frequency pressure changes and high-frequency vibrations from a dexterous robotic hand to a human's upper arm, so as to guide his/her control of the artificial limb.

Robotic Finger Force Sensor Fabrication and Evaluation Through a Glove.

This force-feedback approach compares the effect on the sensing ability through a worn glove of the force application of an i-Limb Ultra robotic hand for several experimental scenarios. A Takktile sensor was integrated into a fabricated fingertip to measure the applied force of the i-Limb Ultra. A controller was then designed using MATLAB/Simulink to manipulate the finger motion of the i-Limb to apply force to an external load cell.

Dorsal root ganglia neurite outgrowth measured as a function of changes in microelectrode array resistance.

Current research in prosthetic device design aims to mimic natural movements using a feedback system that connects to the patient's own nerves to control the device. The first step in using neurons to control motion is to make and maintain contact between neurons and the feedback sensors. Therefore, the goal of this project was to determine if changes in electrode resistance could be detected when a neuron extended a neurite to contact a sensor.

Stimulation Frequency Alters the Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurite Growth and Directionality In Vitro.

Objective: To improve peripheral nerve repair, new techniques to increase the speed of regeneration are required. Studies have shown that the electrical stimulation can enhance nerve regeneration; however, stimulation parameters that regulate the growth increases are unknown. The objective of this study was to examine dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurite extension, directionality, and density after using methods to specifically control ac electrical field intensity and frequency exposure.

Anthropomorphic finger antagonistically actuated by SMA plates.

Most robotic applications that contain shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators use the SMA in a linear or spring shape. In contrast, a novel robotic finger was designed in this paper using SMA plates that were thermomechanically trained to take the shape of a flexed human finger when Joule heated. This flexor actuator was placed in parallel with an extensor actuator that was designed to straighten when Joule heated.

Human-inspired feedback synergies for environmental interaction with a dexterous robotic hand.

Effortless control of the human hand is mediated by the physical and neural couplings inherent in the structure of the hand. This concept was explored for environmental interaction tasks with the human hand, and a novel human-inspired feedback synergy (HFS) controller was developed for a robotic hand which synchronized position and force feedback signals to mimic observed human hand motions. This was achieved by first recording the finger joint motion profiles of human test subjects, where it was observed that the subjects would extend their fingers to maintain a natural hand posture when interacting with different surfaces.