Achieving Neural Compatibility With Human Sensorimotor Control in Prosthetic and Therapeutic Devices

Prosthetic and therapeutic devices have been developed to ameliorate the quality of daily living for people with amputation or neurological disorders. However, many of them fall short of functional benefits, and therefore, are frequently rejected by users due to awkward control, or no awareness of interaction during tasks. Traditional wisdom in the design of prosthetic and therapeutic devices may have emphasized the need to provide users with apparatus that replace or assist motor ability. Rather, the notion to achieve neural compatibility with the existing sensorimotor system has not been well recognized. We argue that providing biomimetic control and sensing capacity to prosthetic and therapeutic devices can enhance their neural compatibility, and therefore, can yield greater functionality in performing activities of daily lives, or in rehabilitation training. In this paper, the authors will present a range of neural technologies that may allow implementation of biomimetic sensorimotor control, including natural sensory feedback, neuromuscular like compliant control, natural module of synergy-based control, as well as advanced neural signal processing techniques. Based on the evidence in our research and in literature, we propose that achieving neural compatibility with the existing human sensorimotor system should be the ultimate goal of prosthetic and therapeutic devices.