A paralysed
woman who controlled a robotic arm using just her thoughts has taken another
step towards restoring her natural movements by controlling the arm with a range
of complex hand movements. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have
gone from giving ‘high fives’ to the ‘thumbs-up’ after increasing the
manoeuvrability of the robotic arm from seven dimensions (7D) to 10 dimensions
(10D).
The extra
dimensions come from four hand movements—finger abduction, a scoop, thumb
extension and a pinch—and have enabled Jan to pick up, grasp and move a range
of objects much more precisely than with the previous 7D control. Computer
algorithms were used to decode these firing signals and identify the patterns
associated with a particular arm movement, such as raising the arm or turning
the wrist.
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