BME SEMINAR WITH DR. LUKE OSBORN
HFI NEURAL FACULTY CANDIDATE
Hosted by: Dustin Tyler, PhD
Restoring and Enhancing Perception and Sensorimotor Function Using Advanced Neural Interfaces
Luke Osborn, PhD
Assistant Section Supervisor in the Neuroscience group within the Research and Exploratory Development Department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Wickenden Room 321
About Dr. Osborn:
Luke Osborn is an Assistant Section Supervisor in the Neuroscience group within the Research and Exploratory Development Department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He received a BS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arkansas and an MSE and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He received the Early Career Alumni Award from the University of Arkansas (2020), the Misha Mahowal Prize for Neuromorphic Engineering (2022), and was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 for his work on restoring the sense of touch to individuals with limb amputation. His research area is in neuroengineering with a focus on delivering sensory information in human-machine interfaces to restore and enhance function.
Abstract:
Prosthetic limbs and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) can help restore movement after injury; however, the lack of tactile feedback can make grasping and manipulating objects difficult. A major step in developing closed-loop neuroprostheses is providing the sense of touch back to the user to improve sensorimotor function. To enable this, we developed an electronic dermis (e-dermis) fingertip sensor, a thin-film thermoelectric cooling device, and noninvasive biomimetic stimulation approaches to convey nuanced touch information, including pain and temperature, back to humans during grasping with a robotic arm. Going further, we use direct brain stimulation through a BCI to augment touch sensitivity in the hands and explore neurophysiology to better understand the role of perception for enabling human-machine integration. Finally, we will discuss the benefits of long-term, unconstrained prosthesis use outside the laboratory. Collectively, our work explores the role of sensory stimulation and advanced prosthesis technologies for improving and enhancing function for individuals living with sensorimotor deficits.