Concept of Using the Brain-Computer Interface to Control Hand Prosthesis

Abstract

The scope of this study refers to the possibility of implementing intelligent artificial limbs for patients after injuries or amputations. Brain-computer technology allows signals to be acquired and sent between the brain and an external device. Upper limb prostheses, however, are quite a complicated tool, because the hand itself has a very complex structure and consists of several joints. The most complicated joint is undoubtedly the saddle joint, which is located at the site of the thumb. You need to demonstrate adequate anatomical knowledge to construct a prosthesis that will be easy to use and resemble a human hand as much as possible. It is also important to create the right control system with the right software that will easily work together with the brain-computer interface. Therefore, the proposed solution in this work is simple. It consists of three parts, which are: the Emotiv EPOC + Neuroheadsets, a control system made of a servo and an Arduino UNO board (with dedicated software), and a hand prosthesis model made in the three-dimensional graphic program Blender and printed using a 3D printing printer. Such a hand prosthesis controlled by a signal from the brain could help people with disabilities after amputations and people who have damaged innervation at the stump site.