Dr. Osborn’s research interest is in restoring, augmenting, and enhancing human sensorimotor function and performance through neuroengineering, bioinspired instrumentation, and human-machine interfaces. Currently, this research focus includes developing neuromorphic tactile sensing electronic skins for robotic limbs and multimodal stimulation paradigms to provide feedback through a range of intuitive sensory perceptions such as pressure, temperature, and pain. His research leverages noninvasive and invasive stimulation approaches across peripheral nerves and the somatosensory cortex in humans to understand and modulate sensorimotor function and human-machine integration. Recent and ongoing projects include multilayered e-dermis tactile sensors for enhanced robot perception, real-time thermal and touch feedback to robotic limb users, alteration of touch sensitivity through intracortical microstimulation, and quantification of human-machine integration through objective neural markers.
Publications
- L.E. Osborn, B. Christie, D.P. McMullen, V. Arriola, T.M., Thomas, A.S. Pawar, R.W. Nickl, M.A. Anaya, B.A. Wester, C.M. Greenspon, G.L. Cantarero, P.A. Celnik, S.J., Bensmaia, J.M. Yau, M.S. Fifer, F.V. Tenore, “Subthreshold intracortical microstimulation of human somatosensory cortex enhances tactile sensitivity,” medRxiv, 2024. doi: 10.1101/2024.06.21.24309202.
- L.E. Osborn, R. Venkatasubramanian, M. Himmtann, C.W. Moran, J.M. Pierce, P. Gajendiran, J.M. Wormley, R.J. Ung, H.H. Nguyen, A. Crego, M.S. Fifer, R.S. Armiger, “Evoking natural thermal perception with a fast high-capacity thin-film thermoelectric device,” Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2023. doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01070-w.
- L.E. Osborn, A. Dragomir, J. Betthauser, C. Hunt, H. Nguyen, R. Kaliki, N.V. Thakor, “Prosthesis with neuromorphic multilayered e-dermis perceives touch and pain,” Science Robotics, vol. 3, no. 19, eaat3818, 2018. doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.aat3818