Tuesday 29 September, 15.30 hr., bld. Zuidhorst - ZH286
Bionic reconstruction of upper limb function
Bionic reconstruction consists in the replacement of lost limbs with mechatronic devices. In upper limb substitution, a man-machine interface that establishes a link between the user’s nervous system and the robotic limb (prosthesis) is needed. This interfacing is commonly done with the remnant muscles above the amputation, either through their physiological innervation or using the surgical approach of targeted muscle reinnervation. Muscle interfacing or myoelectric control consists in the recording of electromyographic (EMG) signals for extracting control signals to command prostheses. In commercial systems, the intensity of muscle activity is extracted from the EMG and used for single degree of freedom activation (direct control). Over the past decades, the academic research has progressed to more sophisticated approaches but, surprisingly, none of these academic achievements has been implemented in commercial systems so far. The academic state-of-the-art relies on pattern recognition as a method to control multiple motor tasks using a relatively small number of electrodes. However, this approach has important limitations. We proposed a change of focus on myocontrol research in the direction of approaches for simultaneous and proportional control of multiple degrees of freedom, which are based on regression methods. Moreover, the exclusive use of EMG as a source for feed-forward control of prostheses may not be sufficient. Therefore, methods that integrate the EMG information with that from other sensors, within semiautonomous systems, are described. The talk will cover these topics with a discussion on the major challenges in filling the gap between commercial/clinical and academic methods for myocontrol. Finally, the new approach of bionic reconstruction of upper limb function following elective amputation will be introduced.
Dario Farina received the M.Sc. degree in electronics engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy, in 1998, and the Ph.D. degree in automatic control and computer science and in electronics and communications engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Nantes, France, and Politecnico di Torino in 2001. From 1997 to 2004 he was a researcher at the Laboratory for Neuromuscular System Engineering (LISiN) of Politecnico di Torino. During 2004–2008 he was an Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. At the same University, in 2008 he became Full Professor in Motor Control and Biomedical Signal Processing and the Head of the Research Group on Neural Engineering and Neurophysiology of Movement. In 2010 he was appointed Full Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Germany, within the Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology (BFNT) Göttingen. In this position, he is also the Chair for NeuroInformatics of the BFNT Göttingen since 2010. Prof. Farina has been the President of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK) in 2012-2014 and currently holds the position of Past President. Among other awards, he has been the recipient of the 2010 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Early Career Achievement Award for his contributions to biomedical signal processing and to electrophysiology, in 2012 he has been elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and is currently a Distinguished Lecturer IEEE. He is an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, and the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, as well as a member of the Editorial Boards or reviewer for several other International Journals. His research focuses on biomedical signal processing, neurorehabilitation technology, and neural control of movement. Within these areas, Prof. Farina has (co)-authored approximately 350 papers in peer-reviewed Journals and over 400 among conference papers/abstracts, book chapters, and encyclopedia contributions.
