Scientists have succeeded in applying an advanced surgical technique that allows amputants to control bionic limbs using the nervous system and feel their position in space. The study, published on July 1 in the journal Nature Medicine, describes the results of the procedure on seven patients with bionic legs. In general, about 60 people around the world have already passed through such operations.
This innovative technology for the first time demonstrates the possibility of complete neural control of the leg prosthesis, creating a biomimetic gait. This means that a synthetic prosthesis is able to effectively compensate for the lost limb functions and provide natural movements that are practically indistinguishable from the gait of a healthy person.
Unlike traditional prostheses that rely on pre-installed robotic algorithms, a new technique, known as a myonural interface Antagonist-agonist ( Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (ami)), allows the patient’s own nervous system to directly control the prosthesis movement. This is achieved by reconstruction of neuromuscular ties lost with amputation.
AMI creates an intuitive interface between the user’s brain and the prosthesis, allowing you to more accurately and naturally control movements. This technology opens up new horizons in the field of prosthetics, significantly improving the quality of life of people with amputated limbs.
The essence of the AMI procedure is to restore muscles in the remainder of the patient’s limb after amputation below the knee. Electric signals from the central nervous system are transmitted between these muscles and are captured by electrodes in the established prosthesis. These signals are processed by a robotic controller in a prosthesis that controls the patient’s gait. Reverse signals about the position and movement of the prosthesis are also transmitted to the nervous system.
In a series of experiments described in a new study, patients who have passed through the AMI operation were able to go faster than those who received the same prostheses after traditional amputations. Some patients reached the speed of walking comparable to people without amputation, and were able to easily overcome obstacles and climb the stairs.
Modern prosthetics technologies already allow amputants to achieve a natural gait, but they depend on robotic sensors and controllers moving according to the