[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9919\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHelping the body and brain to welcome bionic limbs and implants\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot that long ago, the concept of the bionic human seemed far-fetched, but wearable robotic suits, brain-controlled extra limbs and mind-operated wheelchairs are now under active development. It brings the dream of human-machine integration much closer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is a super-exciting time for robotic technologies and advancements,\u2019 said Professor Tamar Makin, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, UK. \u2018We\u2019re seeing sci-fi-level bionic limbs and out-of-the-box designs for prosthetic limbs that don\u2019t look like body parts.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor some, that might seem a slightly unsettling idea. Obviously, wearable robotics and bionic implants could have multiple benefits as medical devices, such as for improving prosthetics. But beyond that, bionics and wearable robotics could potentially enhance people\u2019s capabilities in the workplace and boost productivity.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGiven such rapid advances, Prof Makin said the question arises about how the human body and brain adapt to and assimilate these devices. \u2018I was feeling like a big chunk that\u2019s often left out of this discussion is how the brain and cognition of users will relate to an artificial body part,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProf Makin leads \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/715022\u0022\u003Ethe Horizon-supported EmbodiedTech project\u003C\/a\u003E to explore such questions as how effectively the human brain can support artificial body parts. Also, to what extent does the brain start to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plasticity-lab.com\/body-augmentation\u0022\u003Erecognise an artificial limb as part of someone\u2019s body\u003C\/a\u003E? How much does this rely on it looking like a real limb? And how does the brain implement feedback from the limb?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWearable robotics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnswering such questions is key to making wearable robotics as user-friendly as possible and helping to ensure our brains can deal with them. There is scope for improvement as indicated by some estimates that as many as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/plasticity-lab.com\/body-augmentation\u0022\u003Ehalf of amputees do not use their current prostheses regularly\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne study conducted by Prof Makin\u2019s team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on both people with a missing hand and two-handed people. They found\u0026nbsp;the more regularly someone uses their prosthesis, the stronger the brain area associated with recognising hands responds to images of prostheses.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProsthetic users also had stronger neural connections between areas allowing people to recognise and control hands, suggesting the brain had adapted itself to assimilate the prosthetic.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EYou could use the third thumb to hold another tool ready while you\u2019re soldering, or if you\u2019re playing the guitar and need a crazy chord.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Tamar Makin, EmbodiedTech\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother study found that the brain of regular prosthesis users appears to represent prostheses as a separate category to a hand or a tool. This is because it reacts more similarly between different prosthetics resembling real hands and those that don\u2019t \u2013 such as a mechanical hook \u2013 than between those and hands or tools.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The different types of prosthetics are represented similarly to each other, so they\u2019re clustered as one category,\u2019 said Prof Makin. \u2018The brain is by no means tricked to associate these prosthetics with biological hands.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETentacle arms\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProf Makin said this finding means there may be less need to fully \u2018embody\u2019 prosthetics than previously thought, potentially widening the opportunities for wearable robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We don\u2019t have to be enslaved to the solutions we already know,\u2019 she said. \u2018We can think of completely new materials like tentacle arms because it means the brain should be able to recognise and adopt these just as well as the bionic prostheses that have been the focus of prosthetic design in the last decade.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe findings also suggest more potential for augmenting the human body with extra limbs. One example of this is the robotic \u2018third thumb\u2019 that University of Cambridge colleague and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.daniclodedesign.com\/\u0022\u003Eaugmentation designer Dani Clode\u003C\/a\u003E designed to be strapped to the hand below the little finger and controlled by sensors attached to the user\u2019s big toes.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re not supposed to have six fingers, but it seems this is a plausible solution as far as the brain is concerned,\u2019 said Prof Makin. \u2018You could use it to hold another tool ready while you\u2019re soldering, or if you\u2019re playing the guitar and need a crazy chord.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIndeed, able-bodied participants who trained with the additional finger \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.abd7935\u0022\u003Ebecame more adept at using it and developed a greater sense of embodiment\u003C\/a\u003E over time. However, a mild change in the brain\u2019s representation of the hand\u2019s motor function after prolonged use also suggested a need for caution.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We shouldn\u2019t study these technologies in isolation from the body,\u2019 Prof Makin said. \u2018We have to be very aware of potential side effects or limitations of enhanced use on the brain.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHuman-machine interface\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn more \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/771985\u0022\u003EHorizon-funded research, the Living Bionics\u003C\/a\u003E project has been studying ways to better integrate medical devices that interact directly with the nervous system. Such devices include deep brain stimulation for Parkinson\u2019s disease, as well as cochlear implants and bionic eyes used to treat auditory or visual impairments.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When you implant a device, it\u2019s fundamentally very different to the surrounding tissue,\u2019 said Dr Roberto Portillo-Lara, a bioengineer at Imperial College London who works on the project. \u2018We\u2019re trying to engineer the interface between these implantable devices and physiological tissues.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re merging different technologies from the field of biomaterials science and also working with neural stem cells, and putting them together to create living-implant coatings.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Roberto Portillo-Lara, Living Bionics\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe problem with many current implants is that they use metals that the nervous system recognises as foreign, he explained. This can create scarring and isolate the implant, compromising it in the long term and creating potential safety issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe solution may be to combine electronic devices with cell-laden polymers that aim to mimic the composition of biological tissues. These are carried inside a soft hydrogel that can act as a coating for existing devices or be used to create new ones.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EImplant coatings\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re merging different technologies from the field of biomaterials science and also working with neural stem cells, and putting them together to create living-implant coatings,\u2019 said Dr Portillo-Lara.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFinding the right balance between synthetic and natural polymers is critical, he explained. \u2018Synthetic polymers offer a lot of advantages because they\u2019re robust and predictable,\u2019 said Dr Portillo-Lara. \u2018Natural polymers are more difficult to work with, but more similar to what cells are used to.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHaving begun with more synthetic mixes in lab tests, the composition was found to be not very conducive to cells thriving. But incorporating more natural polymers over time contributed to better-functioning coatings being achieved in the end.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The answer was simple: make this more similar to natural tissues and then the cells behave better,\u2019 he said. \u2018Now it\u2019s the best of both worlds.\u2019 Dr Portillo-Lara thinks more advanced testing could commence by early next year.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs with EmbodiedTech, the research has implications for future tech beyond the clinic \u2013 including for controlling machines like electric wheelchairs with the mind. \u2018How to better interface with the nervous system has implications for brain-computer interfaces,\u2019 said Dr Portillo-Lara.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrain effects\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThat means it\u2019s crucial to understand the possible effects on the brain. \u2018We have to think what\u2019s going to happen once these technologies become accessible enough so that not only patients will want to receive one of these implants, but also regular consumers.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Portillo-Lara believes such technologies could be ready within a decade, although predicting when they will become available is much trickier given challenges with ethics and regulations.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The applications would be virtually limitless,\u2019 he said. \u2018There are a lot of emerging applications that we cannot even envision at the moment because the technology doesn\u2019t exist.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded via the EU\u2019s European Research Council (ERC). 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