This is a very significant result for a high-traffic real situations -- work to be proud of.
To summarize:
When a prosthetic lower leg was attached, they connected antagonist muscles to the leg, with sensors from those muscles in a control loop to the leg (ankle), mimicking how proprioception works. (The sensors are the new interface technology.)
The patient knew and could move the position of the foot when he couldn't see it. He walked up stairs with the usual natural coordinated movements. And he felt like the leg was part of him.
It's one thing to (cortically) plan and execute and track prosthetics visually; it's another for the cerebellum to autonomously monitor and control them, and not to feel cut off.
This seems workable as a standard of care for arms and hands as well. And in this case, it was installed years after the leg was lost, so it works for retrofits (granting this is N=1 young patient in otherwise excellent condition).
kaycebasques•7h ago
I stumbled on this work while researching cyborgs. There's quite a bit of jargon on this official page. The main idea (as I understand it) is that previously, when you got an amputation above the elbow (for example) the bicep and tricep muscles became dead ends. They would just attach the ends of the muscles wherever feasible. Apparently the act of one muscle like the bicep contracting (agonist) while another related one like the tricep extends (antagonist) is a really important feedback loop in our brains. AAMI essentially restores this feedback loop, making the prosthetic feel like part of the body. The lead researcher is apparently himself a double amputee.
Osseointegration was another example of interesting real-life cyborg technology that I stumbled upon.
w10-1•7h ago
To summarize:
When a prosthetic lower leg was attached, they connected antagonist muscles to the leg, with sensors from those muscles in a control loop to the leg (ankle), mimicking how proprioception works. (The sensors are the new interface technology.)
The patient knew and could move the position of the foot when he couldn't see it. He walked up stairs with the usual natural coordinated movements. And he felt like the leg was part of him.
It's one thing to (cortically) plan and execute and track prosthetics visually; it's another for the cerebellum to autonomously monitor and control them, and not to feel cut off.
This seems workable as a standard of care for arms and hands as well. And in this case, it was installed years after the leg was lost, so it works for retrofits (granting this is N=1 young patient in otherwise excellent condition).