HSL Special Seminar: Tyler Roy Clites (2 pm, 9/12, 33-206)

This special seminar is hosted by Professor Leia Stirling (MIT) and Ryan McKindles (Research Director of the STRIVE Center and Technical Staff Member in the Bioengineering Systems & Technologies group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory).

"Enhancing Human Anatomy to Improve Bionic Integration"

Tyler Roy Clites
Postdoctoral Associate
Media Lab

Abstract: For thousands of years, humans have built devices such as prostheses and orthoses to improve mobility and locomotion. Although many of these efforts have resulted in enhanced functionality, they have been fundamentally constrained by limitations of the human physique. Rather than engineering mechatronic devices within such anatomical limits, I alter the body to improve the interface between human and machine. My work is focused on synchronizing the efforts of surgeons and mechatronic engineers to enable co-development of body and machine, in pursuit of bionic performance that is superior to what is possible with mechatronics alone. In this seminar, I will present the Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI), a new approach to limb amputation surgery and myoelectric control that enables bi-directional neural communication of joint position, speed, and torque between a prosthetic limb and the human nervous system. I will show data highlighting the potential of the AMI to improve volitional prosthetic control, preserve essential reflexes, and facilitate a patient’s embodiment of their prosthetic limb. I will also discuss additional applications in which enhanced human anatomy can be leveraged for new solutions to long-standing problems in the field of physical rehabilitation and human augmentation.