Project HERMIN aims to develop and explore for the first time adaptive shared-control strategy in a bidirectional neuroprosthesis with direct sensory feedback from the prosthesis to the cerebral cortex. A shared-control algorithm will supervise the combination of (1) voluntary control by neuronal activity readout through an invasive BMI with (2) autonomous motor routines that implement safety-related reflexes and haptic exploration for active sensing and obstacle avoidance. We call this a "priority-aware" combination, which will respect safety constraints and follow high level objectives of given priorities. We hypothesise that usability and embodiment of the prosthesis will be enhanced thanks to the combination of shared control and direct sensory feedback. Our findings will also be relevant in the upcoming non-invasive bi-directional upper limb prosthesis used for patient rehabilitation or assistance.
The project HERMIN is a collaboration with L2S and NeuroPsi funded by ANR. ESME aims to develop a mouse prosthesis for the understanding prosthesis embodiment.