NeuroTouch · Neuromorphic Touch

Limb amputation is a traumatic event that profoundly impacts quality of life. The loss of touch after amputation is often life-altering, hindering an individual's environmental interactions. Neuromorphic technologies are being investigated for neuroprosthetic devices to restore sensory perception after limb loss. These technologies operate in real-time and emulate biological nervous system functions. However, current neuromorphic solutions for biomimetic neurostimulation use power-hungry and computationally expensive external processors for simulating spiking neurons that cannot be integrated into implantable devices, limiting their portability and clinical applications.The objective of the NeuroTouch initiative is to develop a biomimetic prosthesis for individuals living with upper-limb loss by leveraging Complementary Metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) -based neuromorphic circuits. The electronic model of mechanoreceptors will be implemented using circuits that will convert the tactile sensor data into mechanoreceptor spike trains. These spike trains are subsequently integrated through a CMOS-based electronic summer to modulate the current pulses of neurostimulating device employed for people seeking sensory restoration.NeuroTouch makes three significant contributions in the field of robotics and prosthetics: (1) It introduces bio-inspired event-based algorithms for object perception through tactile sensors. (2) It offers a CMOS-based implementation of event-based object perception. (3) It investigates different strategies for biomimetic parameter modulation of neurostimulator to provide effective stimulation to humans. The importance of this approach lies in the effort to replace the bulky processors with CMOS-based circuits that can be effectively embedded into implantable devices, thereby enhancing the portability and embodiment of contemporary neuroprosthetic devices.