Project description
Soft robotics lend a hand to upper limb prosthesis
Losing a limb significantly impacts a person’s overall well-being. While current upper limb prostheses restore basic function, they often lack a natural appearance and adaptability. Prostheses still rely on rigid actuation, limiting their versatility. The ERC-funded VSoft Pro project aims to develop a transhumeral upper limb prosthesis with user-controllable stiffness and passive adaptability. By leveraging soft robotics principles, the prosthesis will closely mimic the structure and function of a human limb, enhancing user acceptance. The project will create intuitive controls for managing the bionic limb, assess users’ needs to customise the design, evaluate the benefits of voluntary stiffness control over traditional rigid prostheses during daily activities, and develop a clinically viable prototype.
Objective
Losing a limb can profoundly impact a person's physical, emotional, and social well-being. While current upper limb prostheses restore users' basic motor capabilities, they fall short of replicating the natural appearance and functionality of a human limb. The innate compliance and controllable stiffness of the human musculoskeletal system allow individuals to adapt seamlessly to various tasks and environments. Intuitively, prostheses with user-controllable stiffness could mimic this behaviour, promoting safe and natural interactions. However, current upper limb prostheses feature rigid actuation, which limits their versatility. Within the VSoft Pro ERC Proof of Concept project, we propose to develop a transhumeral upper limb prosthesis featuring user-controllable stiffness and passive adaptability. The developed prostheses leverage soft robotics principles to closely replicate the morphology and functionality of a human limb, paving the way to a more natural limb restoration experience that could augment users acceptance rate. The project will also focus on the development of intuitive control, empowering users to manage their bionic limb as an extension of their own body. Preliminary investigations aim to assess users needs to tailor the design of prosthetic devices to their preferences. Further goal of this research is to evaluate the advantages of voluntary stiffness control over classical rigid prostheses during functional tasks and activities of daily living, informing the development of future advanced prosthetic solutions. Finally, the Proof of Concept project will be focused on building a clinically viable prototype, and demonstrating its application in relevant scenarios.
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
- 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-2024-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.
16163 Genova
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.