A robotic hand that is able to carry out complex tasks and controlled with the residual muscles present in the forearm of an amputee: this is what researchers at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa have managed to achieve
A robotic hand which works like a real hand, capable of allowing even the most delicate movements and measuring strength: this is what the researchers at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa managed to achieve: let’s discover all its secrets.
A revolutionary robotic hand
It’s like moving your own hand, these are the words used by Daniel when he experimented with the robotic hand that moves thanks to magnets and created by a research team from the BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, coordinated by Professor Christian Cipriani.
A technological progress unique in the world, an Italian excellence that opens new opportunities for those who have lost a hand.
But how does it work?
The technology is based on myokinetics, i.e. the movement of the muscles, and on 6 magnets as small as a few millimeters which are installed, through a surgical operation, in those residual muscles of the arm connected to the hand which no longer exists but which are still active, as in the case of Daniel, who lost his hand, which was completely severed.
Magnets and the algorithm that translates them
“When the muscle contracts, the magnet moves and a special algorithm translates this change into a specific command for the robotic hand” explain the experts.
The magnets connect to a carbon fiber prosthesis, without wires or electrical connections, which contains the electronic system that localizes the movement of the magnets when the muscles are activated and sends the signals to the Mia-Hand robotic hand, developed by the spin-off Prensilia, who moves perfectly and is also able to control strength.
What can you do with this robotic hand
Daniel managed to carry out even very complex tasks such as opening a jar, using a screwdriver, cutting with a knife, closing a zip and picking up a coin: in short, many delicate and complex movements that we do regularly and which are useful in daily activities.
Years of research have led to this extraordinary result which, in addition to allowing Daniel to relive the thrill of being able to use both hands, offers new hope to those who find themselves in the same situation.
“This result crowns a decades-long research journey. We have finally managed to develop a prosthesis that is functional to the needs of a person who has lost a hand” declared professor Christian Cipriani.
The study relating to the robotic hand, entitled “Restoration of grasping in an upper limb amputee using the myokinetic prosthesis with implanted magnets”, was published in the scientific journal Science Robotics.
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