Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Advertisement

Ossur and Alfred Mann Foundation Sign New Agreement to Extend Exploration of Mind-Controlled Prosthetics

Monday, November 4, 2019 General News
Advertisement
Jon Sigurdsson, President & CEO of Ossur and John Petrovich, CEO of the Alfred Mann Foundation (AMF) recently signed a milestone agreement that allows Ossur to further develop and license AMF's implanted myoelectric sensor (IMESŪ) system as both organizations continue exploring the potential of mind-controlled prosthetic technologies.
Advertisement

The IMESŪ sensors are implanted in muscles that directly control the desired movement of a bionic prosthetic limb. The implants sense a small electrical charge in the muscle tissue and send information wirelessly to the prosthetic limb when the user intends to make specific movements. As a result, the bionic limb responds with the desired movement in virtually the same way that a sound arm, hand or leg would respond.
Advertisement

The world's first-in-man cases to initially evaluate the IMESŪ were conducted in 2014 on upper-limb amputees from the US military, using i-LimbŪ bionic prosthetic hands produced by Ossur. In 2015, two lower-limb amputees from Iceland had IMESŪ units surgically implanted into their residual muscle tissue and demonstrated their ability to control their Ossur leg prostheses with their intentions.

As the IMESŪ system served as a bridge between the amputee users' neuro-muscular system and their artificial limbs, the learning process took place subconsciously, continuously and in real-time for both users. The IMESŪ system has also successfully been used in another pilot study to control an entire bionic arm in amputees who had undergone targeted muscle re-innervation (TMR) surgery.

"We are eager to further explore how the user-experience will evolve when amputees use our advanced Bionic prosthetic solutions along with this advanced sensor technology," said Jon Sigurdsson, President and CEO of Ossur. "This agreement is another demonstration of our company's continuing commitment to ongoing research and development in the field of advanced prosthetics, to help more people enjoy a life without limitations. Our Bionic products are truly ready to step into the future," he said.

"We are proud to see our technologies taking a step towards the market, which is an essential part of our mission," said John Petrovich, President and CEO of the Alfred Mann Foundation. "I can think of no better partner to carry on the future development of the IMESŪ system. Ossur has the most extensive lineup of devices capable of using the system, and more importantly they have the vision to see that mind control will be an important part of the future of bionic prosthetics."
Sponsored Post and Backlink Submission


Latest Press Release on General News

This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close