Project description
Training ESRs to create more intelligent prosthetics
Prosthetic limb technology has greatly advanced in the last decade but is still not able to generate smooth walking when individuals rely on them for physical movement. The sector, although promising, is suffering from a lack of professionals trained in the complexities of technology applied to daily life. SimBionics is a project involving a clinical centre and a global leader in prosthetics to train four ESRs who will develop prosthetic limbs integrating neuromechanics and sensory feedback. Amputees using these bionic legs will perceive them as extensions of their bodies, as the prosthetics will duplicate the mechanics of walking far more accurately. Training will be multidisciplinary and career-oriented while being beneficial to society at the same time.
Objective
Robotic lower limb prostheses, or bionic legs, have underwent tremendous mechatronic advances in the past decade. However, current prosthesis control interfaces are still sub-optimal leading to inefficient walking. To address this limit, there is need for highly trained professionals that work at the intersection of academic research, clinical assessment and market translation. However, current doctoral training programs do not equip candidates with the complex skillset required to develop prosthetic limbs.
SimBionics will establish a comprehensive training program that will equip Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) with the engineering, clinical and entrepreneurial skills required to bring an idea into the market. SimBionics brings together two internationally recognized academic centers, one clinical center and one of the world leading companies in prosthetics. Four ESRs will be trained to develop a radically new control interface that integrates, for the first time, neuromechanical modeling and artificial sensory feedback. This will enable bionic legs to mimic the mechanics of their biological counterparts, so that amputees perceive the prosthesis as an extension of their own body.
ESR training will cover all phases of development; from technology conceptualization to translation into a successful product. ESRs will learn to investigate user and stakeholder requirements. They will learn regulatory aspects for medical products, reimbursement mechanisms, intellectual property, and elements that can block successful development. ESRs will thus receive a tailored career development plan including skills acquisition, project/teamwork management, and open science/gender aspects. Outreach activities will be realized to improve public understanding of SimBionics’ socio-economical potentials and clinical benefits. SimBionics will enhance ESRs’ career perspectives and establish a reference for technology development training program.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Coordinator
37115 Duderstadt
Germany