September 30, 2019 – Ranu Jung, Ph.D., WH Coulter Eminent Scholar Chair & Professor in Florida International University’s Biomedical Engineering Department, received a four year ~6M grant from the Department of Defense Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program.
Advances in prosthetic technology have allowed American Veterans and Service Members to live more comfortable lives; however, there is still high incidence of dissatisfaction and prosthesis abandonment. The proposed work seeks to improve the quality of life of wounded Service members who have experienced upper-limb amputation. The project goals are to conduct a multi-site early feasibility clinical trial of the ANS-Neural-Enabled Prosthetic Hand System to offer task-related sensory feedback in real-world environments to individuals with unilateral or bilateral upper-limb amputation. The work will also enhance the system capabilities to improve the quality of percepts and enable at-home use with a broader selection of prosthetic hands. Task-related sensory feedback may increase the recipients efficiency in performing routine tasks, and enrich their experience when utilizing prosthetic technology.
The project will be executed in close collaboration with Dr. James Abbas at Arizona State University (ASU), Dr. Paul Pasquina and his team at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Dr. Aaron Berger of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and other clinical and medical device industry partners. Read more at FIU News.