The researchers, led by Helen Huang, PhD, the Jackson Family Distinguished Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC, are working with a larger group of participants to see how broadly applicable the findings may be.
A recent case study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrates that, with training, neural control of a powered prosthetic ankle can restore a wide range of abilities, including standing on very challenging surfaces and squatting. The researchers are currently working with a larger group of study participants to see how broadly applicable the findings may be.
“This case study shows that it is possible to use these neural control technologies, in which devices respond to electrical signals from a patient’s muscles, to help patients using robotic prosthetic ankles move more naturally and intuitively,” says Helen Huang, corresponding author of the study. Huang is the Jackson Family Distinguished Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC.
“This work demonstrates that these technologies can give patients the ability to do more than we previously thought possible,” says Aaron Fleming, first author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate in the joint biomedical engineering department.