Sheffield Robotics Seminar: Sheffield Bionics

Speakers:  Nia Touko, Mumin Dar and Florence Clifford-Albrighton, Sheffield Bionics

Sheffield Bionics are a group of students who work together to design and create innovative prosthetic devices and biologically-inspired assistive technologies

 

Date: Friday 10th January 2025

Time: 12.00 - 13.00

Location: Pam Liversidge Building, Floor D, Room D06 (in person only)

Summary:
Transhumeral amputees are the majority of the upper limb amputees in the UK:  accounting for 28% of upper limb amputations. However, the current prosthetics available to them lack many of the key features that other amputations use, resulting in cumbersome devices that many amputees choose not to use. This research seeks to innovate by leveraging modern robotic techniques to enhance the user experience.

For instance, one of our key focus areas is transhumeral electromyographic pattern recognition. This is a revolutionary concept that allows transradial amputees to intuitively control prosthetics with multiple DOF. This is commercially unavailable for amputees who haven’t undergone targeted muscle reinnervation due to the difficulties from the lack of muscle units to sample for the input. Instead, most prosthetics are either mechanical or use a direct control schema which are both inconvenient and cumbersome for the user. We are utilising artificial neural networks and topological approaches to bring this technology to transhumeral amputees- allowing for greater control and flexibility in the utilisation of the technology.

This research focuses on porting this technology to transhumeral amputees and coupling it with further unique structural and control innovations to reimagine what a prosthetic can do in the hope of creating a cohesive and intuitive assistive device.