Please join us for the next Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Enrichment Seminar on Tuesday, June 10, from noon to 1 p.m.
Ramana K. Vinjamuri, PhD, MS, will present on “Synergy-Based Brain-Machine Interfaces in Human-Robot Interaction.”
Vinjamuri is associate professor, Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and director, Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (Vinjamuri Lab), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); director, National Science Foundation BRAIN Industry-University Cooperative Research Center, UMBC site; visiting scientist, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health; associate director, ICTR Informatics Core for UMBC Cybersecurity, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence Research Services.
Link to register: UMB ICTR Enrichment Series Seminar presented by Dr. Ramana Vinjamuri
Discussion Synopsis
Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) have emerged as promising technologies to restore lost limb function. They involve two key design elements: decoding human intent and controlling a machine to execute it. Despite decades of research, challenges such as complexity, adaptability, and variability remain. Overcoming these requires a computational understanding of human sensorimotor control.
Recent advances in HMIs rely on bioinspired models that are experimentally validated and used in adaptive, intuitive control. The human hand, with its high dimensionality, exemplifies these challenges and offers an ideal validation platform. How the central nervous system (CNS) manages this complexity remains an open question.
One promising model suggests the CNS uses synergies — coordinated groups of motor units — instead of individual control. Yet, key questions remain: Where are synergies located in the CNS, and what roles do they play in motor control and learning?
This research aims to combine human motor control, computational neuroscience, and machine learning with noninvasive experiments to answer these questions and enable seamless, natural HMIs based on biomimetic principles.
For more information, please contact:
410-328-2488 | ICTR-Navigator@umaryland.edu
Organized by UMB Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR)