CyberLimb: a novel robotic prosthesis concept with shared and intuitive control

Biosignal-integrated robotic systems with emerging trends in visual interfaces: A systematic review

Human-machine interfaces (HMI) are currently a trendy and rapidly expanding area of research. Interestingly, the human user does not readily observe the interface between humans and machines. Instead, interactions between the machine and electrical signals from the user's body are obscured by complex control algorithms. The result is effectively a one-way street, wherein data is only transmitted from human to machine. Thus, a gap remains in the literature: how can information be effectively conveyed to the user to enable mutual understanding between humans and machines? Here, this paper reviews recent advancements in biosignal-integrated wearable robotics, with a particular emphasis on "visualization"-the presentation of relevant data, statistics, and visual feedback to the user. This review article covers various signals of interest, such as electroencephalograms and electromyograms, and explores novel sensor architectures and key materials. Recent developments in wearable robotics are examined from control and mechanical design perspectives. Additionally, we discuss current visualization methods and outline the field's future direction. While much of the HMI field focuses on biomedical and healthcare applications, such as rehabilitation of spinal cord injury and stroke patients, this paper also covers less common applications in manufacturing, defense, and other domains.

Functional assessment of current upper limb prostheses: An integrated clinical and technological perspective

Although recent technological developments in the field of bionic upper limb prostheses, their rejection rate remains excessively high. The reasons are diverse (e.g. lack of functionality, control complexity, and comfortability) and most of these are reported only through self-rated questionnaires. Indeed, there is no quantitative evaluation of the extent to which a novel prosthetic solution can effectively address users' needs compared to other technologies. This manuscript discusses the challenges and limitations of current upper limb prosthetic devices and evaluates their functionality through a standard functional assessment, the Assessment of Capacity for Myoelectric Control (ACMC). To include a good representation of technologies, the authors collect information from participants in the Cybathlon Powered Arm Prostheses Race 2016 and 2020. The article analyzes 7 hour and 41 min of video footage to evaluate the performance of different prosthetic devices in various tasks inspired by activities of daily living (ADL). The results show that commercially-available rigid hands perform well in dexterous grasping, while body-powered solutions are more reliable and convenient for competitive environments. The article also highlights the importance of wrist design and control modality for successful execution of ADL. Moreover, we discuss the limitations of the evaluation methodology and suggest improvements for future assessments. With regard to future development, this work highlights the need for research in intuitive control of multiple degrees of freedom, adaptive solutions, and the integration of sensory feedback.

A Review of Myoelectric Control for Prosthetic Hand Manipulation

Myoelectric control for prosthetic hands is an important topic in the field of rehabilitation. Intuitive and intelligent myoelectric control can help amputees to regain upper limb function. However, current research efforts are primarily focused on developing rich myoelectric classifiers and biomimetic control methods, limiting prosthetic hand manipulation to simple grasping and releasing tasks, while rarely exploring complex daily tasks. In this article, we conduct a systematic review of recent achievements in two areas, namely, intention recognition research and control strategy research. Specifically, we focus on advanced methods for motion intention types, discrete motion classification, continuous motion estimation, unidirectional control, feedback control, and shared control. In addition, based on the above review, we analyze the challenges and opportunities for research directions of functionality-augmented prosthetic hands and user burden reduction, which can help overcome the limitations of current myoelectric control research and provide development prospects for future research.