Project description
The next generation brain-machine interface
A brain-machine interface (BMI) is a device that translates neuronal information into commands that can control external hardware such as prosthetics. In spite of the great promise of BMIs to improve the lives of people with loss of motor function, implementation is impeded by the required supervised training of BMIs. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the NEMO BMI project aims to address this through the development of an assistance-free system. Researchers will simplify the design of BMIs by employing technological breakthroughs and miniaturised solutions. The generated easy-to-use device is expected to improve the quality of life for a significant number of people who suffer from spinal cord injury.
Objective
Nearly 746,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury every year, with dramatic human, societal and economical cost, leading to impairment or even complete loss of motor functions. Motor Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs) translate brain neural signals into commands to external effectors. BMIs raise hopes that limb mobility may be restored, providing patients with control over orthoses, prostheses, or over their own limbs using electrical stimulation. In spite of spectacular results, taking neuroprosthetics into daily practice has proven difficult. Currently, neuroprosthetics are restricted to assisted trials in laboratories, and require regular retraining of a decoder in a supervised manner within controlled environments. They include various components (recording device, antennas, base station, computers connected to effectors, etc.) that are complicated to install and to use. Building on the consortium's unique experience in clinical chronic BMIs, the project will address major methodological and technological breakthroughs to achieve the first assistance-free motor neuroprosthetics system. NEMO BMI project will conduct the exploration of assistance-free and easy to use portable neuroprosthetics including wireless neuronal activity recorder, a real-time neuronal activity decoder based on integrated technologies, and a spinal cord stimulator. A first objective is the crucial improvement of usability, by introducing an auto-adaptive framework to train the decoder in an adaptive manner during the neuroprosthetics unsupervised use. Brain-guided spinal cord stimulation activating patients’ limbs with an automatic stimulus pattern optimization is the second project objective. A third objective is the exploration of miniaturized embedded solutions by taking advantage of a novel neuromorphic hardware architecture. NEMO BMI technologies will be studied offline and online in two ongoing clinical trials, and will be critical to specify the next-generation assistance-free BMI.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinator
75015 PARIS 15
France