Electronics
approach lends itself to something that can be worn throughout the day at home and be made affordable.” The device can, however, only be used by those who have some residual movement in their arm. Those who have reached the late stages of ALS and cannot move at all would not benefit from the device.
Having had this initial success, what next?
“We are continuing to refine the technology,” says Walsh. “This involves developing better sensing and control strategies so we can have the device work intuitively and synergistically with the wearer. Also, we want to improve the design of the inflatable structures so they can better support a large range of arm motions.”
Walsh and colleagues are collaborating with Brown University to develop a glove that can perform hand movements driven by encoded signals from the brain.
improving their range of motion, the device reduced muscle fatigue and improved the performance of tasks such as reaching for objects.
The participants were “very excited” to use the robot, Proietti says: “All of them asked me once we were done where they could buy this, or if we could give them a version of it, because they felt it could be really useful for their everyday life.” As Walsh points out, the user-friendliness of the technology is a major benefit: “The apparel-based nature of the
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Using brain signals to drive the soft robotics Walsh is now working with their CERF prize collaborators at Brown University to integrate its BrainGate technology. The two teams are working together to create wearable soft robotics that maintain the function of the arm and hand, and – in a crucial difference from the original prototype – can be controlled entirely by a patient’s intention to move. Whereas the original required the patient to have some residual movement in the arm, the new device will be combined with the BrainGate system, an array of electrodes able to decode signals from the brain’s motor cortex. The signals from the brain will drive the soft robotics created by the Harvard team. Using the same balloon principle, Walsh and his colleagues have created a glove that can perform hand movements. By decoding the signals from the brain, the robotics can restore, for example, a patient’s ability to grasp a coffee cup. This would be beneficial not just for ALS patients, but for patients with stroke or any other condition that impairs their ability to move. Walsh is hopeful about the possibilities opened up by the BrainGate collaboration. “The current prototype is only capable of functioning on study participants who still had some residual movements in their shoulder area,” he says. “ALS, however, typically progresses rapidly within two to five years, rendering patients unable to move. With the BrainGate team, we are exploring potential versions of assistive wearables whose movements could be controlled by signals in the brain.” For ALS patients suffering from a gradual deterioration in their ability to control their movements, the technology could prove transformative. Walsh believes it won’t be too long before it is commercially available: “It is still in the research phase, but we would hope we might bring it to market in two to four years.” ●
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
Harvard Biodesign Lab
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