ESR2- Sensory Feedback for Prosthetic Devices

Understand the basic principle of tactile encoding and define effective ways to implement it in a neuroprosthetic device, by defining optimal stimulation protocols (both invasive and non-invasive) to elicit appropriate perception. The fellow will develop algorithms to translate stimulus properties encoded in the spike trains from artificial sensors into appropriate stimulation patterns. The algorithms will benefit from the deeper understanding of neural encoding of tactile perception developed within research themes 5 and 6. The improvements of the proposed algorithms will be validated by the development of systems and protocols for performance evaluation, for example in terms of performance of manipulation of human amputees equipped with upper limb prosthetic devices or of subjects using wearable systems or teleoperating robotic systems.

Prosthetic and orthotic devices equipped with novel algorithms that better communicate a natural touch sensation to the user, improving ease of use and acceptability.