Project description
A game-changer for amputees
Up to 44 % of upper-limb prostheses face abandonment, with a lack of training cited as a key factor. Traditional methods prove ineffective due to their repetitive nature. The EU’s substantial investment of EUR 173.5 million (2019-2022) exacerbates the issue. In this context, the ERC-funded BRAINmade project aims to leverage natural hand usage to reshape behaviour and brain activity. Using virtual reality scenarios controlled by electromyographic (EMG) activity, the four-week motor training reveals impressive results, even with non-anthropomorphic prosthetics. BRAINmad’s approach integrates fully-customised, low-cost EMG sensors, providing invaluable data for prosthetic fabrication and research. This groundbreaking project aims to reduce prosthesis abandonment, offering a transformative impact on amputees’ lives and rehabilitation practices.
Objective
Up to 44% is the abandonment rate of upper-limb prostheses. The lack of training and rehabilitation is among the reasons underlying the high rejection rate. When available, traditional treatments lead to ineffective results because they are repetitive, tedious, and discouraging. When considering the EU investments in prosthetic development (173.5 million, period 2019-2022) and the costs granted by the national health system for assistance, this problem gets worse. BRAINmade proposes a paradigm shift to change the current situation. Within the ERC-funded HANDmade project, we exploit the idea that natural hand usage shapes behavior and brain activity. We reinforced the conviction that long-term, continuous, specialized training is prodromal for prosthesis acceptance. By integrating virtual reality (VR) scenarios controlled by electromyographic (EMG) activity in upper-limb amputees, our experimental data on a 4-week long motor training show high motor performance and embodiment even of non-anthropomorphic prosthesis (e.g. tweezers). Beyond being highly specialized as it contains the hand degrees of freedom, we realized that this virtual bionic tool simplifies action intention and execution by exploiting motor properties hardwired in the brain. Thus, the difficult transition toward prosthesis acceptance may imply a progressive acquisition of new motor skills and adopting BRAINmade prosthetic devices built on an individual's expertise (and neural resources). The proposed motor training protocol also integrates fully-customized inkjet-printed and low-cost EMG sensors - designed on the patient's stump and residual muscle activity - and daily monitoring of the motor performance. Those data will serve prosthesis fabrication and feed freely-available databases for developers in the R&D sectors of upper-limb prostheses. With the ultimate project goal of reducing prosthesis abandonment, our idea can significantly impact amputees' lives and transform rehabilitation practice.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine physiotherapy
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00185 Roma
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.