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New microchip technology gives artificial limb users more movement

10/06/2003

"It is essential that ACR is given the financial means to fully realise this idea quickly."

The ACR system uses myoelectric technology to transfer the user's thought processes into a range of movements. It does this by interpreting electrical signals generated when muscles contract and relax and translating these signals into physical movements of a prosthetic limb. The ACR system is unique in that it can identify up to four different signals from a single site on the arm, unlike existing systems that recognises onlyone. Therefore, a user of the ACR chipset will be able to turn a wrist or elbow in addition to opening and closing a grip.

Preliminary user trials are indicating that the system is easy to learn and that its superior analysis of electrical signals could make myoelectric technology available to a wider range of people. Future developments could include larger numbers of distinct motions and groups of movements for particular situations such as the kitchen, car or workplace.

NESTA support, over one year, will enable ACR to complete develop a prototype system to be marketed to manufacturers and distributors of prosthetic upper limbs.

Jeremy Newton, NESTA Chief Executive, said:

"ACR is a wonderful example of the type of innovation that can go unseen in the UK, the type of new idea, method or product that NESTA is here to support. It is essential that ACR is given the financial means to fully realise this idea quickly if it is to retain its global lead and competitive edge in the application of its technology to prosthetic hands."

As with all Invention & Innovation awards, NESTA has taken a stake in this project and any returns that are generated will be ploughed back into the Invention & Innovation programme.

Advanced Control Research Ltd (ACR) is a Plymouth-based research and development company specialising in the design and development of innovative products with in-built intelligence. Directors Professor Roland Burns and Peter Nurse each have over 30 years experience as professional engineers and academics. ACR's technologies have applications in industrial, marine, medical and security sectors, in fact any application that requires machine intelligence to recognise and decipher information received from both single and multiple sensor systems, and use that information to control the system in some desired manner. The technology can be used in such diverse areas as ship autopilot control through to automatic health monitoring systems.

Professor Roland Burns has recently retired from his position as Professor of Control Engineering at the University of Plymouth thus enabling him to spend more time on ACR activities. He has an international reputation for the application of Artificial Intelligence techniques to control system design, the basics of which are found in his book, Advanced Control Engineering, published in 2001 by Butterworth Heinemann. Peter Nurse has a background in the area of interfacing computers with control system elements such as sensors and actuators. He worked for 13 years as a Senior Experimental Officer at the University of Surrey and 16 years as Senior Lecturer in Mechatronics at the University of Plymouth.