Optimizing Cross-Modal Matching for Multimodal Motor Rehabilitation.

Stroke often causes sensorimotor deficits, impairing hand dexterity and disrupting independence for millions worldwide. While rehabilitation devices leveraging visual and haptic feedback show promise, their effectiveness is limited by a lack of perceptual equity, which is necessary to ensure fair comparisons between sensory modalities. This study refines cross-modal matching protocols to address this gap, enabling unbiased evaluation of multimodal feedback.

HaptiKart: An engaging videogame reveals elevated proprioceptive bias in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

An overreliance on proprioceptive (intrinsic) sensory input from the body, compared to visual (extrinsic) input from the environment, may underpin core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We developed an engaging videogame ("HaptiKart") as a tool to examine differences in sensory-motor bias (proprioceptive vs. visual) in children and adults with ASD and whether bias correlates with age, core autism features, and intellectual ability.

Understanding the Utility of State-Based Haptic Feedback in Tendon-Driven Anthropomorphic Prostheses.

Haptic feedback has demonstrated utility in traditional prosthetic devices, however, it is unclear to what extent haptic feedback improves functionality in an anthropomorphic agonist/antagonist tendon-actuated design. We investigate the impact of state-based haptic feedback in an agonist/antagonist tendon-driven anthropomorphic prosthesis by proportionally mapping haptic sensations of the tension in the tendons during actuation. N =24 participants without limb loss were recruited to perform a grasp and transfer task using a mock prosthesis across three conditions: no haptic feedback, skin stretch feedback, and vibrotactile feedback.

One-Piece 3D-Printed Pneumatic Catheter: Dual-Segment Design with Integrated Robotics Control for Endovascular Interventions.

Soft robotics have propelled advancements in medical applications such as endovascular interventions through the development of soft steerable catheters. Despite their potential, existing catheters often require intricate manufacturing or complex control systems due to their inherent hysteresis and nonlinear material properties. This study introduces a novel catheter system featuring a 3D-printed hollow tip with two pneumatic bending units, facilitating rotation about two distinct axes without the need for additional fabrication steps.

Toward "S"-Shaped 3D-Printed Soft Robotic Guidewires for Pediatric Patent Ductus Arteriosus Endovascular Interventions.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is a heart condition in which the ductus arteriosus-a blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta in a fetus-fails to undergo closure after birth. A PDA can be an important factor in neonates born with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) or born prematurely. With the advent of new intravascular stent technologies, treatments based on ductus arteriosus stenting can now be completed in many cases; however, difficulties remain in accessing the ductus arteriosus in small babies successfully using current guidewire-catheter systems.

An Approach for 3D Microprinting Soft Robotic Surgical Tools at 1.5 French Length Scales for Endovascular Interventions.

A wide range of endovascular interventions rely on surgical tools such as guidewire-catheter systems for navigating through blood vessels to, for example, deliver embolic materials, stents, and/or therapeutic agents to target sites as well as biopsy tools (., forceps and punch needles) for medical diagnostics. In response to the difficulties in maneuvering such endovascular instruments safely and effectively to access intended sites in the body, researchers have developed an array of soft robotic surgical tools that harness fluidic (.

Bedside Admittance Control of a Dual-Segment Soft Robot for Catheter-Based Interventions.

Robotic catheters enable precise steering of their distal tip while inside the body's blood vessels, and with this ability comes the need for control systems that fit into the clinical workflow. In this study, we propose a novel bedside admittance controller composed of a force/torque sensor with a 3D-printed handle and a low-profile table mount. The controller is intended to be placed at the insertion site to the body and allows simultaneous insertion and steering of a dual-segment fluid-actuated soft robot catheter.

A Novel Wrist Device for Characterizing the Components of Proprioceptive Acuity.

Proprioception is important in human motor control but can be impaired by neurological disease. Unfortunately, our understanding of proprioceptive deficit is very limited, especially for important joints such as the wrist. To address this gap, we have constructed a robotic testbed designed to measure different aspects of proprioceptive acuity at the human wrist during pronation/supination.

Teleoperator Coupling Dynamics Impact Human Motor Control Across Pursuit Tracking Speeds.

Robotic teleoperators introduce novel electromechanical dynamics between the user and the environment. While considerable effort has focused on minimizing these dynamics, we lack a robust understanding of their impact on user task performance across the range of human motor control ability. Here, we utilize a 1-DoF teleoperator testbed with interchangeable mechanical and electromechanical couplings between the leader and follower to investigate to what extent, if any, the dynamics of the teleoperator influence performance in a visual-motor pursuit tracking task.

Implementing social and affective touch to enhance user experience in human-robot interaction.

In this paper, we discuss the potential contribution of affective touch to the user experience and robot performance in human-robot interaction, with an in-depth look into upper-limb prosthesis use as a well-suited example. Research on providing haptic feedback in human-robot interaction has worked to relay discriminative information during functional activities of daily living, like grasping a cup of tea. However, this approach neglects to recognize the affective information our bodies give and receive during social activities of daily living, like shaking hands.

Investigating Haptic Feedback in Vision-Deficient Millirobot Telemanipulation.

The evolution of magnetically actuated millirobots gives rise to unique teleoperation challenges due to their non-traditional kinematic and dynamic architectures, as well as their frequent use of suboptimal imaging modalities. Recent investigations into haptic interfaces for millirobots have shown promise but lack the clinically motivated task scenarios necessary to justify future development. In this work, we investigate the utility of haptic feedback on bilateral teleoperation of a magnetically actuated millirobot in visually deficient conditions.

Anodal cerebellar t-DCS impacts skill learning and transfer on a robotic surgery training task.

The cerebellum has demonstrated a critical role during adaptation in motor learning. However, the extent to which it can contribute to the skill acquisition of complex real-world tasks remains unclear. One particularly challenging application in terms of motor activities is robotic surgery, which requires surgeons to complete complex multidimensional visuomotor tasks through a remotely operated robot.

Dual-Modality Haptic Feedback Improves Dexterous Task Execution With Virtual EMG-Controlled Gripper.

Individuals with upper-extremity limb difference who use myoelectric prostheses currently lack the haptic sensory information needed to perform dexterous activities of daily living. While considerable research has focused on restoring this haptic information, these approaches often rely on single-modality feedback schemes which are necessary but insufficient for the feedforward and feedback control strategies employed by the central nervous system. Multi-modality feedback approaches have been gaining attention in several application domains, however, the utility for myoelectric prosthesis use remains unclear.

Mirror-Brush Illusion: Creating Phantom Tactile Percepts on Intact Limbs.

Haptic illusions provide unique insights into how we model our bodies separate from our environment. Popular illusions like the rubber-hand illusion and mirror-box illusion have demonstrated that we can adapt the internal representations of our limbs in response to visuo-haptic conflicts. In this manuscript, we extend this knowledge by investigating to what extent, if any, we also augment our external representations of the environment and its action on our bodies in response to visuo-haptic conflicts.

Haptic shared control improves neural efficiency during myoelectric prosthesis use.

Clinical myoelectric prostheses lack the sensory feedback and sufficient dexterity required to complete activities of daily living efficiently and accurately. Providing haptic feedback of relevant environmental cues to the user or imbuing the prosthesis with autonomous control authority have been separately shown to improve prosthesis utility. Few studies, however, have investigated the effect of combining these two approaches in a shared control paradigm, and none have evaluated such an approach from the perspective of neural efficiency (the relationship between task performance and mental effort measured directly from the brain).

Effects of automated skill assessment on robotic surgery training.

Background: Several automated skill-assessment approaches have been proposed for robotic surgery, but their utility is not well understood. This article investigates the effects of one machine-learning-based skill-assessment approach on psychomotor skill development in robotic surgery training.

Methods: N = 29 trainees (medical students and residents) with no robotic surgery experience performed five trials of inanimate peg transfer with an Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Standard robot.

The Utility of Synthetic Reflexes and Haptic Feedback for Upper-Limb Prostheses in a Dexterous Task Without Direct Vision.

Individuals who use myoelectric upper-limb prostheses often rely heavily on vision to complete their daily activities. They thus struggle in situations where vision is overloaded, such as multitasking, or unavailable, such as poor lighting conditions. Non-disabled individuals can easily accomplish such tasks due to tactile reflexes and haptic sensation guiding their upper-limb motor coordination.

Novel Planar Strain Sensor Design for Capturing 3-Dimensional Fingertip Forces from Patients Affected by Hand Paralysis.

Assessment and therapy for individuals who have hand paresis requires force sensing approaches that can measure a wide range of finger forces in multiple dimensions. Here we present a novel strain-gauge force sensor with 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) designed for use in a hand assessment and rehabilitation device. The sensor features a fiberglass printed circuit board substrate to which eight strain gauges are bonded.

Hydroxychloroquine Alternatives for Chronic Disease: Response to a Growing Shortage Amid the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.

With the emergence of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, investigators worldwide are scrambling to identify appropriate treatment modalities, develop accurate testing, and produce a vaccine. To date, effective treatment remains elusive. Chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ), well-known antimalarial drugs effective in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, porphyria cutanea tarda, and chronic Q fever, are currently under investigation.

Comparison of vibrotactile and joint-torque feedback in a myoelectric upper-limb prosthesis.

Background: Despite the technological advancements in myoelectric prostheses, body-powered prostheses remain a popular choice for amputees, in part due to the natural sensory advantage they provide. Research on haptic feedback in myoelectric prostheses has delivered mixed results. Furthermore, there is limited research comparing various haptic feedback modalities in myoelectric prostheses.

A description of 'Australian Lyme disease' epidemiology and impact: an analysis of submissions to an Australian senate inquiry.

Background: Many Australian patients are diagnosed and treated for the scientifically and politically controversial diagnosis of an endemic form of 'Australian Lyme Disease'. Patient advocacy led Senator John Madigan to propose an Australian Senate Inquiry into this illness.

Aim: To describe the symptomology and outcomes of patients diagnosed and treated with Lyme disease in Australia.

Shigella species epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility: the implications of emerging azithromycin resistance for guiding treatment, guidelines and breakpoints.

Objectives: To examine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and predictors of resistance among Shigella isolates in New South Wales (NSW), Australia during 2013-14 with emphasis on azithromycin.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of all shigellosis cases (160) notified to public health authorities in NSW, Australia was performed.

Results: Among 160 Shigella isolates tested, 139 (86.

Using Contact Forces and Robot Arm Accelerations to Automatically Rate Surgeon Skill at Peg Transfer.

Objective: Most trainees begin learning robotic minimally invasive surgery by performing inanimate practice tasks with clinical robots such as the Intuitive Surgical da Vinci. Expert surgeons are commonly asked to evaluate these performances using standardized five-point rating scales, but doing such ratings is time consuming, tedious, and somewhat subjective. This paper presents an automatic skill evaluation system that analyzes only the contact force with the task materials, the broad-bandwidth accelerations of the robotic instruments and camera, and the task completion time.