Continuous Control of the DLR Light-Weight Robot III by a Human with Tetraplegia Using the BrainGate2 Neural Interface System

We have investigated control of the DLR Light-Weight Robot III with DLR Five-Finger Hand by a person with tetraplegia using the BrainGate2 Neural Interface System. The goal of this research is to develop assistive technologies for people with severe physical disabilities. This shall allow them to regain some independence in the handling of objects, e.g. to drink a glass of water. First results of the developed control loop are very encouraging and allow the participant to perform simple interaction tasks with her environment, e.g., pick up a bottle and move it around. To this end, only a few minutes of system training is required, after which the system can be used. Joern Vogel, Sami Haddadin and Patrick van der Smagt Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center / DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, e-mail: {joern.vogel,sami.haddadin,smagt}@dlr.de John Simeral, Sergey Stavisky, Daniel Bacher and Leigh Hochberg School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, e-mail: {john simeral,sergey stavisky,daniel bacher,leigh hochberg}@brown.edu John Donoghue Dept. of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, e-mail: john [email protected] John Simeral, Sergey Stavisky, Leigh Hochberg and John Donoghue Rehabilitation R&D Service Dept. Veterans Affairs Med. Ctr., Providence, RI John Simeral, Sergey Stavisky, and Leigh Hochberg Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA Leigh Hochberg Neurology, Brigham & Women’s and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA