In the conception of MAIA, future prosthetic and assistive devices are envisioned to be far more proactive than current human–machine interfaces, exploiting brain, gaze, and behavioral signals to anticipate human intentions and provide meaningful feedback. Over the course of the project, MAIA has gone beyond this vision by delivering concrete innovations and scientific advances. At the basic science level, MAIA has deepened knowledge of how the parietal and frontal cortices encode reach direction and depth, how intention signals can be decoded in both humans and non-human primates, and how plasticity within parieto-frontal circuits can be harnessed for adaptive control. These findings significantly advance the state of the art in neuroscience and AI. At the technological level, MAIA has demonstrated robust intention decoding across user populations, including individuals with motor impairments, and developed adaptive AI systems integrating multimodal inputs (EEG, EMG, EOG, gaze) for bidirectional communication. Notably, the locomotion intention decoder, tested with patients and integrated into the wheelchair demonstrator, represents a novel and exploitable solution with strong commercial promise.
Scientifically, MAIA provides a foundation for next-generation neuro-AI models that are transparent, adaptive, and biologically inspired, contributing to neuroscience, machine learning, and cognitive science. Technologically, the project demonstrates that gaze-based and multimodal decoders can enable intuitive, non-invasive, and reliable communication channels between humans and assistive devices, creating pathways for integration into neuroprosthetics, rehabilitation robotics, and mobility systems. Socio-economically, MAIA has laid the groundwork for an innovation ecosystem that bridges academia, industry, and clinical partners, fostering new opportunities in healthcare markets and beyond. Societally, the project addresses urgent needs by empowering individuals with motor impairments, reducing social and functional barriers, and enhancing autonomy and quality of life. By promoting human-centric AI that is trustworthy, acceptable, and scalable to broader domains such as industry and space exploration, MAIA contributes to shaping a future where technology complements human agency rather than replacing it.
