2023-10-11 20:10:39
by Ruggiero Corcella
Swede who lost her right hand in a farming accident was implanted with a new human-machine interface fused with residual bones, nerves and muscles
The experimentation of new models that prefigure the creation of real cybernetic or bionic organisms continues unabated. The protagonists of the new venture, once again, are the brain consortium between Chalmers University of Technology of Gothenburg (Sweden) together with other international partners (the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute of Bologna and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, the University of Lund, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, the INAIL Prosthetic Center in Vigorso di Budrio and the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome). Last July, thanks to the grafting of a bionic implant to the residual limb, an amputee patient demonstrated that he can use each finger of a bionic hand as if it were his own. Previous attempts had also been carried out in Gothenburg in 2017 and 2019. Now the same human-machine interface technology has been adopted for what, according to the authors, is the first implantation of a person with an amputation below the elbow.
The study was published on Science Robotics and the final result of European DeTOP project (Dexterous Transradial Osseointegrated Prosthesis with neural control and sensory feedback) financed by the European Community with over 5 million euros and coordinated by the BioRobotics Institute of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa.
The implanted woman: 20 years ago she lost her right hand
The protagonist of this new intervention is Karin, a Swedish woman who lost her right hand in an agricultural accident more than 20 years ago. Since then, she has endured excruciating pain in her phantom limb. I felt like I constantly had my hand in a meat grinder, which created a high level of stress for me and I was forced to take high doses of various painkillers, she says. In addition to the intractable pain, the woman found that conventional dentures were uncomfortable and unreliable and therefore of little help in daily life. All this changed when she received innovative bionic technology that allowed her to comfortably wear a much more functional prosthesis throughout the day. The greater integration between the bionic prosthesis and Karin’s residual limb also relieved her pain. For me this research meant a lot, because it gave me a better life, adds the woman.
Plug-in bionic hand
The mechanical interface with the residual limb and the reliability of control are two of the major challenges in artificial limb replacement. For these reasons, amputees often reject even sophisticated commercially available prostheses, which involve a painful and uncomfortable attachment with limited and unreliable controllability. A multidisciplinary group of engineers and surgeons has solved these problems by developing a human-machine interface that allows the prosthesis to be conveniently attached to the user’s skeleton via osseointegration, while allowing electrical connection with the nervous system via electrodes implanted in the nerves and muscles. are two of the biggest challenges in artificial limb replacement.
The research was led by Professor Max Ortiz Catalan, head of neural prosthesis research at the Bionics Institute in Australia and founder of the Center for Bionics and Pain Research (CBPR) in Sweden. Karin is the first person with a below-elbow amputation to receive this new concept of a highly integrated bionic hand that can be used autonomously and reliably in daily life. The fact that for years she has managed to use the prosthesis comfortably and effectively in daily activities testifies to the potential ability of this new technology to change the lives of people who have to face the loss of a limb.
Obstacles to overcome
The advantages of skeletal fixation
A fundamental characteristic of the new bionic technology is the skeletal fixation of the prosthesis through osseointegration; the process by which bone tissue regrows within titanium creating a strong mechanical connection. Professor Rickard Brnemark, an MIT-affiliated researcher, associate professor at the University of Gteborg and CEO of Integrum, led the surgery and has worked on osseointegration for limb prostheses since their first use in humans: L The biological integration of titanium implants into bone tissue creates the opportunity to further advance the care of amputees – he underlines -. By combining osseointegration with reconstructive surgery, implanted electrodes and artificial intelligence, we can restore human function in an unprecedented way. The below-elbow amputation level presents unique challenges, and the level of function achieved marks an important milestone for the field of advanced extremity reconstruction as a whole.
Biological or bionic solutions
The nerves and muscles of the residual limb have been reorganized to provide the prosthesis with a greater source of motor control information. Dr. Paolo Sassu conducted this part of the operation which took place at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden, where he also led the first hand transplant performed in Scandinavia: Depending on the clinical conditions, we can offer the best solution for our patients who are sometimes biological with a hand transplant and sometimes bionic with neuromusculoskeletal prostheses. We are continuously improving in both fields.
Dr. Sassu currently works at the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Italy and at the Center for Bionics and Pain Research in Sweden. The DeTOP project, financed by the European Commission, states the coordinator, Professor Christian Cipriani, of the Sant’Anna School of Pisa, has offered a great opportunity for collaboration which has made it possible to consolidate the cutting-edge prosthetic and robotic technologies available in our institutions , this can have a tremendous impact on people’s lives, he says. The robotic hand developed by Prensilia, called Mia Hand, was equipped with unique motor and sensory components that allowed the user to perform 80% of daily life activities.
The research team and the project funding
This work was one of the main results of a project funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, called DeTOP (GA #687905) (video). The research was also funded by the Promobilia Foundation, the IngaBritt and Arne Lundbergs Foundation, and the Swedish Research Council. The research team is part of the following institutions: the Center for Bionics and Pain Research (CBPR), a multidisciplinary collaboration between Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sahlgrenska Academy and Chalmers University of Technology, (Sweden); the Bionics Institute in Melbourne, Australia; the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy; the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy; Team Olmea, Sweden; the University of Colorado, Aurora, USA; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA; and medical device companies such as Integrum AB in Sweden and Prensilia, Italy. The DeTOP project also includes Lund University, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, the INAIL Prosthetic Center, and the Universit Campus Bio-Medico.
October 11, 2023 (modified October 11, 2023 | 8:10 pm)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#move #real #time.news