Neural prostheses for lower limbs are making a qualitative leap thanks to a new technology developed at MIT. By combining an innovative surgical approach with advanced neural interfaces, researchers have created prosthetics that respond more naturally to the brain's commands, offering new possibilities to amputee patients.
The innovation of neural prostheses
MIT researchers led by Hugh Herr (an old acquaintance of ours), in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital, have demonstrated that you can get a truly natural walk. As? Using a prosthetic leg completely guided by the patient's nervous system. This result was achieved thanks to a new type of surgery and an advanced neuroprosthetic interface.
The heart of this innovation? A surgical technique called agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI). This procedure reconnects the muscles in the residual limb, allowing patients to receive proprioceptive feedback about the position of the prosthesis in space.
The study and its results
The study, published in Nature Medicine (I link it here), involved seven patients underwent AMI surgery. The results showed that these patients were able to walk faster. Not only that, they could avoid obstacles and climb stairs much more naturally than people with a traditional amputation.
Unlike traditional prostheses that rely on robotic sensors and predefined algorithms, the new neural prostheses allow complete neural control. Proprioceptive feedback allows users to voluntarily adjust their gait as needed.
Advantages of neural prostheses
Patients with neural prostheses showed five absolutely improved factors. Here they are:
- A walking speed similar to that of people without amputations.
- Greater ease in getting around obstacles.
- More natural movements, such as pointing your toes upward when climbing stairs.
- Better coordination between the prosthetic limb and the intact limb.
- Ability to push on the ground with the same force as a person without amputations.
All extremely encouraging elements. In some ways astonishing.
Future implications
This approach represents a significant step towards the goal of “rebuilding human bodies,” rather than relying on increasingly sophisticated robotic controllers and sensors. The goal is to ensure that the user perceives the prosthesis as an integral part of their body.
The neural prosthetics developed by MIT represent a major advance in the field of rehabilitation and prosthetic technology. With more natural and intuitive control, they promise to significantly improve the quality of life of people with amputations, bringing them ever closer to a natural and fluid movement experience.
Here we go!
