Biomimetic multi-channel microstimulation of somatosensory cortex conveys high resolution force feedback for bionic hands.

ABSTRACT: Manual interactions with objects are supported by tactile signals from the hand. This tactile feedback can be restored in brain-controlled bionic hands via intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of somatosensory cortex (S1). In ICMS-based tactile feedback, contact force can be signaled by modulating the stimulation intensity based on the output of force sensors on the bionic hand, which in turn modulates the perceived magnitude of the sensation. In the present study, we gauged the dynamic range and precision of ICMS-based force feedback in three human participants implanted with arrays of microelectrodes in S1. To this end, we measured the increases in sensation magnitude resulting from increases in ICMS amplitude and participant's ability to distinguish between different intensity levels.

SUBMITTER: Greenspon CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9949113 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature