Data from: Hybrid EEG/EOG-based brain/neural hand exoskeleton restores fully independent daily living activities after quadriplegia

Direct brain control of advanced robotic systems promises substantial improvements in health care, for example, to restore intuitive control of hand movements required for activities of daily living in quadriplegics, like holding a cup and drinking, eating with cutlery, or manipulating different objects. However, such integrated, brain- or neural-controlled robotic systems have yet to enter broader clinical use or daily life environments. We demonstrate full restoration of independent daily living activities, such as eating and drinking, in an everyday life scenario across six paraplegic individuals (five males, 30 ± 14 years) who used a noninvasive, hybrid brain/neural hand exoskeleton (B/NHE) to open and close their paralyzed hand. The results broadly suggest that brain/neural-assistive technology can restore autonomy and independence in quadriplegic individuals’ everyday life.

对先进机器人系统实施直接脑控，有望为医疗保健领域带来显著提升——例如，帮助四肢瘫痪者恢复日常活动所需的手部运动直觉控制能力，诸如持杯饮水、使用餐具进食，或是操控各类物品等。然而，这类集成化脑控或神经控制机器人系统，尚未能更广泛地落地临床应用与日常生活场景。本研究针对6名截瘫受试者（5名男性，年龄30±14岁）开展日常场景下的验证实验，受试者借助非侵入式混合脑/神经手部外骨骼（B/NHE）实现瘫痪手部的开合控制，最终完全恢复了进食、饮水等独立日常活动能力。研究结果整体表明，脑/神经辅助技术可帮助四肢瘫痪者重拾日常生活中的自主与独立能力。