Our research group, in collaboration with Prof. Oskar C. Aszmann in University of Vienna, are exploring ways in improving the performance of prosthetic hand use by synergistically combining medical and engineering approaches. We have shown in the past that by combining selective nerve and muscle transfers, elective amputation, and advanced signal processing, bionic reconstruction offers a means to restore hand function even in cases where there is no alterative treatment.  

Developing new signal processing methods to decipher the activity of spinal motor neurons, which constitute the ultimate neural code for movement execution, form the core of our research activities. These advanced signal processing methods, known as EMG decomposition, provide invaluable insights into fundamentals of movement generation physiology and pathology. Coupled with high-density electrode technology to exploit the information on spatial variability of the detected motor unit action potentials, we have developed novel blind source separation algorithms that extract the discharge patterns of spinal motor neurons from EMG recordings.

At the core of every human-machine interface lies the neural interface through which the activity of the nervous system is observed (i.e. recorded) and modulated (i.e. stimulated). Our researches are developing state-of-the-art neural interface technologies.

Developed advanced signal processing techniques have recently been translated into a real-time EMG decomposition hardware serving as a non-invasive neural gateway. This device, utilising surface EMG signals recorded on the skin, provides an opportunity to observe the activity of motor neurons in spinal cord in real-time. Closed-loop bio-feedback experiments, prosthetics and neurorehabilitation devices, and control of everyday electronic items are among many applications of the developed platform technology.

Our team has also successfully designed, produced and tested a novel multi-channel intramuscular wire electrode that allows in vivo concurrent recordings of a substantially greater number of motor units than conventional methods.

In addition to observing (i.e. recording) the neural activity from spinal cord, our research also focuses on modulation of neural activity (i.e. stimulation). This neuromodulation is essential in providing natural sensations for prosthetic users, as well as managing several neurological diseases such as tremor management in essential tremor and Parkinson disease.

We are currently developing various methods and neuroprosthetic devices for monitoring and suppression of pathological tremors through neuro-stimulation of the afferent pathways.

The central nervous system controls muscle force by modulating the recruitment and discharge rate of motor units. The motor unit is therefore the functional quantum of all muscle actions. In our research, we identify the activity of populations of motor units during voluntary force contractions by high density EMG recordings. By using these techniques, we aim to unravel the underlying mechanisms used by the central nervous system to control multiple degrees of freedom. Moreover, with these techniques we associate the neural properties (e.g., motor unit recruitment, discharge timings of the motor neuron) to peripheral motor unit characteristics (e.g., muscle fibre conduction velocity).