THROUGH THE NEW UC DAVIS CENTER FOR NEUROENGINEERING AND MEDICINE and
projects funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF), mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) faculty members Sanjay Joshi, Jonathon Schofield and Steve Robinson are pushing the boundaries of the developing field of neuroengineering and finding new ways for humans and machines to work together. “We have all the resources at UC Davis to be one of the absolute leaders in this field,” said Joshi. “We are one of the few universities in the world with tremendous programs in engineering, neuroscience and medicine. We have the potential to bring these programs together to do some really groundbreaking work.”
established the Neuroengineering and Medicine Initiative, which was met with enthusiasm across campus.
GIVING ASTRONAUTS A HAND One of his first collaborations in the area was with fellow MAE professor and former astronaut, Steve Robinson. They realized the human-machine interfaces Joshi had developed could make spacewalks safer by giving astronauts a robotic fifth limb—called a supernumerary robot—to increase their capabilities and range of motion. They recruited MAE assistant professor Jonathon Schofield and neurobiology, physiology and behavior (NPB) associate professor Wil Joiner—both hired as part of the Neuroengineering and Medicine Initiative—along
CONNECTIN HUMANS When a person moves a muscle, the brain sends an electrical signal to tell it what to do. Joshi, a former NASA engineer and control systems expert, thought these signals could also be used to help people control machines. His group found that even the most underused muscles in the body could produce a wide range of signals that could be used to control electrical devices.
“Our body is electrically-controlled and you can measure these electrical signals at different places on the body,” he said. “The body acts like a limited signal generator.” In partnership with the disability community, his group began building neuromuscular-controlled devices that help people with even the most severe disabilities use a prosthetic or even move a computer cursor—devices that improve their everyday lives. Joshi’s work is part of the rise of neuroengineering, a new field that combines engineering, neuroscience and medicine to restore or add function to humans using techniques from multiple disciplines. A collaborator by nature, he saw the potential to bring together UC Davis’ strengths to create a neuroengineering hub. In 2014, he 8 U C D AV I S C O L L E G E O F E N G I N E E R I N G
with NPB professor Lee Miller and were awarded an NSF grant in 2019 for the project.
Learning to use the arm could potentially be like learning to coordinate two arms and facial muscles to play an instrument. The brain technically sends multiple physiological signals to control multiple limbs, even if one is a supernumerary robot controlled by muscles in a different part of the body, depending on the situation. Learning to use the arm could potentially be like learning to coordinate two arms and facial muscles to play an instrument. Since supernumerary robots are new, however, there could be a significant learning curve.
EXTENDING HUMAN CAPABILITY Feedback is key to helping ease this learning curve. Feedback can take many forms, or a combination of forms, ranging from an auditory response such as beeping, to visuals such as flashing lights or motion, to a sensation of touch, known as haptic feedback. Based off a person’s responses, says Schofield, researchers can tune the devices to get the user to embody the robot. “Tool-embodiment occurs when an expert tennis player operates their racket,” said Schofield. “They’re very