Method for neuromechanical and neuroelectromagnetic mitigation of limb pathology
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsHugh M. Herr, Cameron Taylor, Tyler Clites
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Abstract
A physiological feature of a subject is monitored by implanting a plurality of targets, such as magnets, and detecting at least one change in a physical property of the targets, followed by modifying a physiological feature of the subject in response to a change of state detected by the change in physical property detected in the targets. Cutaneous sensory feedback and proprioceptive feedback in a subject, as well as selective stimulation of axons or nerve fascicles of a neuron of a subject are provided.
Claims24
A method for detecting a physical property of tissue for control of a wearable device, comprising:
- implanting a plurality of targets at an individual muscle-tendon tissue;
- employing an array of sensors to detect a magnetic field at each of the sensors of the array;
- estimating a position and orientation of a magnetic dipole moment of each of at least two of the plurality of targets based on the detected magnetic fields;
- and
- determining at least one state of the at least two targets relative to each other based upon the estimated position and orientation of the magnetic dipole moment of each of the at least two targets, wherein the state of the targets is indicative of a physical property, thereby detecting the physical property of the tissue and wherein the detected physical property is employed in control of a wearable device.
A device for detecting a physical property of tissue for control of a wearable device, comprising:
- an array of sensors configured to detect a magnetic field from a plurality of targets at an individual muscle-tendon tissue;
- and
- electronics configured to:
- estimate a position and orientation of a magnetic dipole moment of each of at least two of the plurality of targets based on the detected magnetic field;
- and
- determine at least one state of the at least two targets relative to each other based upon the estimated position and orientation of the magnetic dipole moment of each of the at least two targets, and
- provide an indication of a physical property of the tissue based on the determined at least one state, wherein the physical property is employed in control of a wearable device.
A method for detecting a physical property of tissue for control of a wearable device, comprising:
- implanting a plurality of targets at an individual muscle-tendon tissue;
- employing an array of sensors to detect a magnetic field at each of the sensors of the array;
- estimating a position of a magnetic dipole moment of each of at least two of the plurality of targets based on the detected magnetic fields;
- and
- determining at least one state of the at least two targets relative to each other based upon the estimated position of the magnetic dipole moment of each of the at least two targets, wherein the state of the targets is indicative of a physical property, thereby detecting the physical property of the tissue and wherein the detected physical property is employed in control of a wearable device,
- wherein the at least one state includes the positions of the at least two targets relative to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.