Vibrotactile feedback to close the loop with bone anchored prostheses

Project ID: 2228cd1316 (You will need this ID for your application)

UCL Lead department: Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary:

Amputation is a rapidly rising clinical problem, and attachment and control mechanisms for prostheses remain remarkably inefficient. The predominant stump-socket attachment mechanisms for artificial limbs are abandoned by most amputees due to pain, soft tissue/skin complications and infection. UCL has developed of Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prostheses (ITAP) anchoring the external prosthesis directly to bone via an infection-free skin-penetrating abutment, and we have extended ITAP to create a bionic gateway combining prosthesis attachment and bidirectional control. However, many amputees still rely on simple skin-surface prosthesis control systems, giving few axes of motion and little to no sensory feedback. This project will take advantage of a sensory modality arising from bone anchored prostheses: osseoperception, patients “feel” through their prostheses. You will join a team alongside collaborators at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to develop devices to enhance osseoperception using vibrotactile feedback and investigate the benefits of enhanced sensory feedback.

On this project you will: Develop and test wearable systems for vibrotactile feedback with bone anchored prosthesis. Carry out studies of vibrotactile feedback with amputee and non-amputee volunteers. Investigate the clinical benefits of vibrotactile feedback for bone anchored prosthesis users.

You will gain skills in: Wearable healthcare device design and manufacture. Real time signal processing and real time control. Study design for clinical and pre-clinical evaluation of medical devices. Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.