NEBIAS project
NEBIAS bionic hand prosthesis on the amputee
NEBIAS (“NEurocontrolled BIdirectional Artificial upper limb and hand prosthesiS”) was launched in November 2013 as a 4-years project and is due for completion at the end of January 2018. It has been funded by FP7, the EU's Research and Innovation funding programme, with almost 3.5 million Euro.
The project aims to develop and evaluate a neuro-controlled prosthesis, intuitively controlled and felt by the amputee as the natural one. This neuro controlled limb relies on an advanced neural interface, using artifical sensors and electronics that are able to provide a fine, very selective and in real time connection with the nervous system. This technology might change the live of many amputees, by allowing them to control complex hand and finger movements, restoring their touch sense and allowing them to feel fully what they are doing.
Several clinical trials are still on-going. The aim is to develop large-scale clinical trials to assess if the prosthesis could be commercialised.
Background
NEBIAS is part of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme and is a continuation of intensive research in this field which started many years ago with the CYBERHAND .
NEBIAS falls within the scope of the EU Robotics policy.
More information
More information on NEBIAS can be found on CORDIS:
An interview with Silvestro Micera, NEBIAS project coordinator on the importance of EU funding for researchers who aim to bring their innovations to European citizens is also available here to learn more about NEBIAS.