Technopolis Moscow resident develops exoskeletal hand with neural network based management algorithms

Employees of the Molecular Electronics Research Institute (MERI) have developed an exoskeleton for rehabilitation medicine. The news was announced by Vladislav Ovchinsky, Head of the Moscow Department of Investment and Industrial Policy.

“Engaged in R&D in microelectronics and nanoelectronics, MERI has been a resident of the Moscow Special Economic Zone (SEZ) since 2015. Today, it employs over 600 highly educated and highly skilled professionals, including three Academicians, two Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and more than 70 doctors and candidates of sciences. The new development will be in demand primarily in medicine, for example, in stroke rehabilitation,” says Vladislav Ovchinsky.

The developers of the unique exoskeleton believe that the main drawback of existing exoskeletons is the way they are controlled. They are run by clicking on a remote control button, while commercially manufactured exoskeletons are often managed by an operator. Another shortage is a preset trajectory of movement, regardless of user’s wishes or physiology.

Gennady Degtev, Director General of Technopolis Moscow, says that the SEZ resident has created an active exoskeletal hand platform with a neural network based on muscle management, an innovative original concept of management, to tackle medical, industrial, lifesaving and extra issues.

The exoskeleton market is growing year after year, demonstrating high potential in industries requiring human enhancement, e. g., emergency responses, construction or industry.

“We propose to non-invasively read EMG signals from human muscles and register the actual hand position. The taught neural network will use this data to predict the most probable trajectory in 0.2 to 0.3 milliseconds. Thus, we will get a high natural movement enhancement, quickly and accurately predicting movement trajectories, depending on individual physical characteristics of the user. The idea is proposed by the team leader, a lab researcher and undergraduate of the Moscow Physical and Technical Institute German Karnup,” said Oleg Telminov, head of the MERI target neuromorphic computing lab.

Now the developers are consulting with rehabilitation centers of Sechenov University and Pirogov National Medical & Surgical Center in addition to the Three Sisters rehabilitation center.

Technopolis Moscow Special Economic Zone is an area enjoying a special legal status that offers preferential business conditions to investors; its five sites (i.e., Pechatniki, Alabushevo, Micron, MIET, and Angstrem) accommodate high-tech companies and cover more than 223 hectares. The overall investment from Moscow SEZ resident companies exceeds RUB 87 billion. The SEZ has been topping international and national industry ratings for several years.