Robotic hand gets the thumbs up
4th August 2006
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| Profs Lovell, Sammut and Morley, Dr Breakspear |
A UNSW team working on a robotic hand has been awarded one of only three multimillion dollar grants under the Federal Government's Thinking Systems initiative.
The ARC and NHMRC awarded the cross-disciplinary team $3.3 million over the next five years.
The research involves neuroscientists, mathematicians, engineers, psychologists and robotics experts. The work could eventually produce a range of medical benefits including novel prosthetics and rehabilitation strategies for stroke patients.
“We are hoping to design a new generation of robotic control systems based on the principles of the human brain,” said the project's chief investigator, Dr Michael Breakspear, who is a senior research fellow in the School of Psychiatry, based at the Black Dog Institute.
“We hope that this work will give robotic hands more subtle movement, which will help in search and rescue robots,” said another team member, Professor Claude Sammut from the School of Computer Science and Engineering.
The project could also shed light on brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and depression.
“This could be a virtual laboratory for the brain,” said Dr Breakspear. “By replicating the hand movements of someone with Parkinson’s disease, for example, we could better understand the process which is going on in their brain.”
The collaborators were brought together by UNSW Brain Sciences.
A total of $10 million has been awarded under the Federal Government’s Thinking Systems initiative.
The ARC and NHMRC awarded the cross-disciplinary team $3.3 million over the next five years.
The research involves neuroscientists, mathematicians, engineers, psychologists and robotics experts. The work could eventually produce a range of medical benefits including novel prosthetics and rehabilitation strategies for stroke patients.
“We are hoping to design a new generation of robotic control systems based on the principles of the human brain,” said the project's chief investigator, Dr Michael Breakspear, who is a senior research fellow in the School of Psychiatry, based at the Black Dog Institute.
“We hope that this work will give robotic hands more subtle movement, which will help in search and rescue robots,” said another team member, Professor Claude Sammut from the School of Computer Science and Engineering.
The project could also shed light on brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and depression.
“This could be a virtual laboratory for the brain,” said Dr Breakspear. “By replicating the hand movements of someone with Parkinson’s disease, for example, we could better understand the process which is going on in their brain.”
The collaborators were brought together by UNSW Brain Sciences.
A total of $10 million has been awarded under the Federal Government’s Thinking Systems initiative.
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