Events Calendar

Biomedical Engineering Department Guest Speaker

Speaker: Adam Rouse, MD, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Schieber Finger Movement Laboratory, University of Rochester

Talk Title: Brain-computer interfaces for the hand: Moving beyond linear models

Abstract: The field of motor brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) has advanced dramatically. Our ability to accurately decode neural activity to directly control a cursor, robotic arm, or the patient's own muscles continues to improve. However, this control remains robotic and limited compared with natural human performance. Most BCI decoding relies on each neuron having a fixed and linear relationship to a given set of degrees of freedom. In experimental results from a reach-to-grasp task, Dr. Rouse will describe the sequential phases of movement observed with EMG, kinematic, and single-unit neurophysiologic recordings. He also will show the broad tuning throughout the entire upper forelimb region of primary motor cortex to both reach location and grasp object type and how it transitions between phases of the movement. Dr. Rouse will demonstrate why this sequential, selective tuning can serve as an important principle for BCI design. By using active dimension selection and four ethologically relevant dimensions of control, he will show how a simple 16 single unit BCI can efficiently control a virtual hand to achieve eight different postures with 93 percent accuracy, with average movement times of ~1 second. By analyzing large-dimensional datasets of joint kinematics, EMG, and neural activity, he focuses on understanding how neural populations can generate motor output across a broad dynamic range with speed and precision.

Host: Ellis Meng, PhD

Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145/145A

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta