Improved method for use of natural sensory feedback in control of grasp force for stimulated hand muscles

Functional electrical stimulation of paralyzed hands can provide the user with some basic hand function. To improve the grasp provided by this method it is being attempted to use information from natural cutaneous sensors as recorded by a nerve cuff electrode implanted around a peripheral nerve. Slips across the skin can be detected in the nerve signal. This can be used to provide automatic intervention if an object being held starts to slip. A method for estimating the proper intensity of the reaction to a slip is presented. The method is based on the assumption that the reaction intensity should increase with the velocity of the slip and that the velocity is reflected in the amplitude of the nerve signal