For the past six years, Mendez has focused in particular on the question of control, working with patients to develop systems for commanding robotic hands with their mind. \u201cWe use electrodes on the forearm to measure muscle activity,\u201d he explains. \u201cThat lets us decipher and interpret the signals they transmit. The aim is to translate the person\u2019s intention into an intuitive, natural movement.\u201d Mendez is hopeful that a prototype incorporating the new technology will be ready in 2026.<\/p>\n
Another TNE researcher is Daniel Leal, a neuroengineer involved in the Third Arm Project, which aims to develop an \u201cextra\u201d robotic arm. As well as restoring some function to people who\u2019ve lost the use of their upper limbs, the system could also prove useful to able-bodied people, helping them \u201cmultitask\u201d or perform delicate medical or rescue operations. \u201cOne challenge is to find a way to control the extra arm using motor resources that are normally allocated to other bodily functions, without disrupting those functions,\u201d says Leal. \u201cOur work involves harnessing the natural redundancies built into the human body.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research group is exploring whether the robotic arms could be controlled by moving the diaphragm or the ears. \u201cThe ear muscles are vestigial, or remnants of evolutionary processes. Most people can no longer use them,\u201d says Leal. \u201cBut the neural connections still exist, so we can train the brain to reassign them. One advantage of these muscles is they can still be preserved in most cases of high-level spinal cord injury, making them suitable targets for neuroprosthetic control.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hydrogels: promising potential for soft-tissue healing<\/strong><\/p>\n Fortunately, not all accidents involve the loss of a limb. Injuries suffered at home or while playing sports often affect soft tissue such as skin, tendons and muscles. But even minor surgery can have mixed results, because this tissue tends to regenerate and heal poorly. Researchers have been trying for decades to develop adhesives capable of withstanding the stresses of the human body in motion. At EPFL\u2019s Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics (LBO), Dominique Pioletti and his team are working on a new class of hydrogels \u2013 injectable biomaterials that can bind to tissue and help them regenerate.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n As Pioletti explains, hydrogels offer a number of key advantages: \u201cJust like soft tissue, hydrogels consist of a matrix of molecules that holds a liquid inside. Another advantage is they can be injected in liquid form and then partially solidified at a later stage, for example, in response to light, meaning they can be used in a minimally invasive way.\u201d<\/p>\n At the moment, the LBO researchers are focusing mainly on repairing cartilage defects. \u201cOur colleagues at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) treat cartilage injuries by extracting cells from the patient, expanding them in the lab, and then reinserting them to promote regrowth,\u201d says Pioletti. \u201cFor now, these cells are injected with a liquid, which causes some problems \u2013 especially when it comes to keeping them in place. But if they\u2019re inserted in a gel that binds to the cartilage, the cells will stay where they\u2019re supposed to be, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. The gel will both protect and merge with the existing tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n Treating damaged cartilage \u2013 a type of tissue whose texture Pioletti compares to chewing gum \u2013 is very much a race against time: \u201cIf the damaged area isn\u2019t protected, the body forms what\u2019s known as fibrocartilage. This disorganized fibrous tissue remains in the damaged area, preventing better-quality cartilage from growing back. But a hydrogel will fill the gap instead, allowing the tissue to regenerate.\u201d One of the major challenges with this approach is predicting how quickly the hydrogel will degrade.<\/p>\n Pioletti expects to have a commercially viable product ready in approximately five years. He was also involved in the creation of EPFL startup flowbone.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 3D skin and muscle<\/strong><\/p>\n LBO is not the only research group conducting pioneering research on hydrogels. Earlier this year, scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) used gelatin derived from cold-water fish such as cod and pollock to develop a patented, innovative, non-swelling biomaterial that can be 3D-printed with skin cells to create living models. The hydrogel simulates the extracellular matrix and emulates the layered structure of human skin, allowing scientists to study diseases and chronic wounds. It could also be used as a dressing material: it\u2019s biologically compatible and causes fewer immune reactions than comparable materials based on mammalian gelatin.<\/p>\n Another Empa team is using 3D printing to produce artificial muscles. In March this year, the researchers announced a significant breakthrough, noting that these structures could one day \u201csupport people at work or when walking, or replace injured muscle tissue.\u201d The artificial muscles contain dielectric elastic actuators (DEAs), which are interlocked layers of silicone-based materials: one conductive, the other nonconductive. The actuator contracts like a muscle when an electrical voltage is applied, then relaxes when the voltage is switched off.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Healing hearts and spreading smiles<\/strong><\/p>\n DEAs play an important role in the work of Yves Perriard, a microengineer based at the EPFL campus at Microcity in Neuch\u00e2tel. The two entities he heads \u2013 the Integrated Actuators Laboratory (LAI) and the Center for Artificial Muscles (CAM) \u2013 are working with engineers at the University of Zurich, the University of Bern and the Technical University of Munich to develop motors and soft robotic components that could assist those suffering from illness or injury.<\/p>\n Through their research focused on the heart \u2013 or, to be more exact, the aorta \u2013 the scientists are hoping to bring about a revolution in the treatment of heart failure. \u201cAt present, when we implant an artificial pump, rigid components such as metals and magnets have to be placed inside the heart,\u201d says Perriard. \u201cOur goal is to create something soft and much less invasive \u2013 a pump that doesn\u2019t come into direct contact with the blood or enter the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Perriard\u2019s team has developed a ring-shaped DEA that can be placed on the aorta where it joins the heart. \u201cThe ring expands and contracts,\u201d he explains. \u201cBy getting it to move in sync with the opening and closing of the aortic valve, we can create a suction effect that helps the heart to pump.\u201d<\/p>\n The method proved successful during initial in vito trials in pigs, conducted in 2021 and 2022. \u201cAnd last year, we made a discovery that opened up a whole new world of possibilities,\u201d says Perriard. \u201cBy creating an air gap around the DEA, we were able to amplify its effect by a factor of almost ten. Rather than just helping the heart to beat, this system could, in fact, replace it altogether.\u201d The team has already patented this proprietary technology. \u201cWe\u2019re getting closer to the point where we can run human trials,\u201d says Perriard.<\/p>\n Perriard\u2019s labs are also collaborating with Nicole Lindenblatt\u2019s research group at University Hospital Zurich on facial reanimation treatments. \u201cOur goal is to help people suffering from facial paralysis,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis condition, which often affects just one side of the face, can be caused by viruses that attack the nerves. Our system involves connecting a flat, extremely thin DEA to the zygomaticus major muscle beneath the cheek. It\u2019s controlled by an electronic device that reads and interprets nerve signals, restoring the patient\u2019s ability to raise the corner of their mouth.\u201d These advancements, and others like them, are set to put a smile back on millions of faces.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/\/actu.epfl.ch\/public\/upload\/fckeditorimage\/6b\/34\/6012c774.jpg\")