Robotic Limb for Human Augmentation Already in Development: Report

There is continued progress in robotics, and experts are currently working on making a robotic arm as an extra limb.

Robotic Arm as an Extra Limb

Research groups at Imperial College London and the University of Freiburg in Germany work with partners in the European project NIMA. They are currently figuring out whether such augmentation can be realized to extend human abilities.

However, they are still unsure if the human brain can control the additional body part the way it manipulates biological parts. This concern involves neuroscience and neurotechnology.

The extra robotic limb can be considered a human augmentation as it can improve one's abilities to perform things. An additional arm, leg, and fingers will likely be useful as a supporting role during surgery or in construction.

According to Spectrum, robotic limbs have been developing recently, and some are used to enhance people's abilities. However, most are operated via a joystick or other hand controls.

For example, a surgeon performing a robotic surgery will sit at a console across the room from the patient.

Some people who have amputations or paralysis have already used robotic limbs. Some people use powered wheelchairs with a controlling robotic arm controlled via a joystick. A few with missing limbs control a prosthetic with their remaining muscles. However, a mind-controlled prosthesis is rare.

In the new study, the researchers used an EMG system on their leg with 64 electrodes in a 4-by-10-centimeter patch stuck to their shin over the tibialis anterior muscle. They had the participants perform various cursor tasks and observe their brain activities using EEG.

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They noticed changes in the extra beta-band neural signals arriving at the muscles related to similar changes at the brain level. The beta neural signals remain a mystery since they had no role in controlling muscles and the researchers have no idea where they originate.

The result of the study suggests that the research volunteers were learning to modulate their brain activity sent down to the muscles as beta signals, which helps unravel potential mechanisms behind the signals.

A system was set up at Imperial College London to test the new technologies with extra robotic limbs, which they call MUlti-limb Virtual Environment (MUVE). The technology will allow users to work with as many as four lightweight wearable robotic arms simulated by virtual reality.

What is Human Augmentation?

Human augmentation refers to technologies that enhance a human's productivity or capacity. It has to be so integrated into the user's life that it becomes an extension of them, according to Fresh Consulting.

For example, a tool like a hammer is not an augmentation because it is only useful if you need it. The same can be said for a laptop. However, a smartphone or a mobile smartwatch can be considered an augmentation because they are always with you, allowing you to access any information anytime.

One becomes an augmentation when it becomes a persistent and intuitive part of one's identity. Other examples are eyeglasses, pacemakers, prosthetics, wearable devices, chip implants, and genetic modifications.