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Robotic hand augmentation drives changes in neural body representation
Science Robotics ( IF 25.0 ) Pub Date : 2021-05-19 , DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abd7935
Paulina Kieliba 1 , Danielle Clode 1, 2 , Roni O Maimon-Mor 1, 3 , Tamar R Makin 1, 4
Affiliation  

Humans have long been fascinated by the opportunities afforded through augmentation. This vision not only depends on technological innovations but also critically relies on our brain’s ability to learn, adapt, and interface with augmentation devices. Here, we investigated whether successful motor augmentation with an extra robotic thumb can be achieved and what its implications are on the neural representation and function of the biological hand. Able-bodied participants were trained to use an extra robotic thumb (called the Third Thumb) over 5 days, including both lab-based and unstructured daily use. We challenged participants to complete normally bimanual tasks using only the augmented hand and examined their ability to develop hand-robot interactions. Participants were tested on a variety of behavioral and brain imaging tests, designed to interrogate the augmented hand’s representation before and after the training. Training improved Third Thumb motor control, dexterity, and hand-robot coordination, even when cognitive load was increased or when vision was occluded. It also resulted in increased sense of embodiment over the Third Thumb. Consequently, augmentation influenced key aspects of hand representation and motor control. Third Thumb usage weakened natural kinematic synergies of the biological hand. Furthermore, brain decoding revealed a mild collapse of the augmented hand’s motor representation after training, even while the Third Thumb was not worn. Together, our findings demonstrate that motor augmentation can be readily achieved, with potential for flexible use, reduced cognitive reliance, and increased sense of embodiment. Yet, augmentation may incur changes to the biological hand representation. Such neurocognitive consequences are crucial for successful implementation of future augmentation technologies.



中文翻译:

机器人手增强驱动神经身体表征的变化

长期以来,人类一直对增强所提供的机会着迷。这一愿景不仅取决于技术创新,还严重依赖于我们大脑学习、适应和与增强设备交互的能力。在这里,我们研究了是否可以通过额外的机械拇指实现成功的运动增强,以及它对生物手的神经表征和功能的影响。身体健全的参与者接受了超过 5 天的训练,以使用额外的机械拇指(称为第三拇指),包括实验室和非结构化的日常使用。我们要求参与者仅使用增强的手完成正常的双手任务,并检查他们开发手机器人交互的能力。参与者接受了各种行为和大脑成像测试,旨在在训练前后询问增强手的表示。即使在认知负荷增加或视力被遮挡时,训练也能改善第三拇指运动控制、灵巧性和手机器人协调性。它还增加了第三拇指的体现感。因此,增强影响了手部表征和运动控制的关键方面。第三拇指的使用削弱了生物手的自然运动协同作用。此外,大脑解码显示训练后增强手的运动表现轻微崩溃,即使没有佩戴第三个拇指。总之,我们的研究结果表明,可以很容易地实现运动增强,具有灵活使用、减少认知依赖和增强体现感的潜力。然而,增强可能会导致生物手表示发生变化。这种神经认知后果对于未来增强技术的成功实施至关重要。

更新日期:2021-05-19
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