The Spanish TV show “Comando Actualidad” broadcasted the show “Superhumans: According to experts, the future lies in carrying technology inside our body. Would you be willing to have a microchip implanted?” where the NIMBLE and TAYLOR projects were presented by Juan C. Moreno and Sara González from 36:50 to 44:30 (only in Spanish).
Dr. Juan C. Moreno contributes to “Cyber–Physical–Human Systems,” a book exploring the latest in the interactions between cyber–physical systems and humans
Participation in everyday life and life satisfaction are greatly affected by disabilities. Motor impairments caused by neurological disorders, like spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis, represent a significant burden for those affected and society. Wearable robotics and neuro-prostheses are two emerging technologies to recover mobility by generating lost movements or amplifying residual weak functions. The suppression of pain, elimination of spasticity, and movement restoration by spinal cord stimulation (i.e., neuromodulation) represent other indirect means for the mobilization of the impaired.
Together with Dr. Thomas Schauer (https://www.tu.berlin/control/user-tschauer) working at the Control Systems Group at the Technische Universität Berlin and Dr. Eduard Fosch-Villaronga from Universiteit Leiden (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/eduard-fosch-villaronga#tab-1) wrote a chapter introducing the underlying basics of neuro-prostheses, spinal cord stimulation, and wearable robotics and highlights recent technological developments with application examples and open challenges. These include using various sensor technologies to recognize the user’s intention, generalized movement, muscular fatigue, and environmental disturbances. The authors discussed feedback and learning control as essential solutions for user-individual support and assist-as-needed behavior and outlined hybrid approaches in evolving multi-modal actuation principles to combine the advantages and compensate for the disadvantages of the individual support modalities. They also provided examples of hybrid systems connecting wearable robots and electrical stimulation illustrate the current state of the art and research before discussing applicability and transfer to daily practice, which, Fosch-Villaronga remarks, does not come without drawbacks.
Wanna read more? You can access the article by following this link (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10154097). If you want to read the book, you can access it here (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/book/10154022).
The Neural Rehabilitation Group (NRG) at Cajal Institute (CSIC) offers a unique opportunity to work on the translation of leading neuroscientific brain theories into human-centred robotics applications. We are seeking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to conduct research on Brain-inspired learning and control of exoskeletons, and 1 or 2 master students interested in a master thesis in a related topic.
Description:
Wearable robotics (WR), like exoskeletons, are one of the breakthrough technologies that may revolutionize our quality of life. However, despite the huge investment in WR and the progress in sensing (wearables), the algorithms to produce the behaviour (action) are still very challenging. Current biomechatronic control methods are heterogeneous and usually hand-crafted. This prevents smooth interaction with the user and generates cognitive overloading or undesired movements/behaviour. Surprisingly, these solutions are far from being in line with current i) evidence in sensorimotor neuroscience and ii) breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
Candidates’ work will focus on improving human-exoskeleton interactions by researching and deploying state-of-the-art brain-inspired artificial intelligence (e.g., reinforcement learning, active inference) as the perception and control algorithm of different robotic exoskeleton systems.
Prerequisites & contact:
Candidates should hold, or be in the process of obtaining, a master’s degree in one of the following areas:
• Informatics
• Robotics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Control
• Mechatronics
Interested candidates should send an email including CV and motivation letter to Pablo Lanillos and David Rodriguez before 30th July.
Don’t miss this offer at Technaid company: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/248262646/
The candidate will work in close collaboration with the NRG.
Estamos buscando candidatos para trabajar durante un año en el GNR en el marco del programa Investigo de la Comunidad de Madrid.
Los candidatos podrán inscribirse en la oferta en el portal de empleo de la CAM: https://mcyt.educa.madrid.org/empleo/ofertas-destacadas/
Los requisitos son:
1.- Ser mayor de 16 años y menor de 30
2.- Estar inscrito como demandante de empleo desempleado en alguna de las oficinas de empleo de la Comunidad de Madrid (no obstante, podrán ser seleccionados como participantes en este programa jóvenes ocupados siempre que, con carácter previo al inicio del contrato objeto de la subvención, extingan la relación laboral previa y realicen su inscripción en la correspondiente oficina de empleo).
3.-Estar en posesión de alguno de los títulos siguientes: Licenciado, Ingeniero, Arquitecto, Diplomado, Graduado, Ingeniero Técnico, Arquitecto Técnico, título de Doctor o de formación profesional de grado medio o superior.
4.- No se podrán contratar personas jóvenes que hayan desempeñado cualquier tipo de puesto de investigación en el CSIC, en el plazo de 6 meses inmediatamente anteriores a la fecha de solicitud (1 de abril de 2022).
Resumen del proyecto en el que se enmarca la ayuda:
El sector de la Sanidad en el que se enmarca el proyecto tiene como objetivo mejorar los robots actuales para la rehabilitación de la marcha desarrollando un marco de optimización novedoso basado en modelos para promover la neuroplasticidad con herramientas novedosas para el control y la gestión del tratamiento robótico longitudinal. El proyecto implementará una estrategia de investigación necesaria que pondrá énfasis en obtener una mejor comprensión de los mecanismos de la neuroplasticidad, para determinar cómo inducirla y explotarla de manera confiable para maximizar los resultados terapéuticos en la salud de los pacientes. Estos avances previstos en el campo de la neurociencia clínica requieren esfuerzos coordinados para mejorar i) técnicas que permitan registrar la actividad neuronal y la interacción humano-robot en la condición de tratamiento del robot; ii) avances en tecnologías robóticas con detección, actuación y biorretroalimentación precisas integradas para evaluar correctamente el estado de la interacción física entre humanos y robots; iii) algoritmos de control avanzados que pueden caracterizar con mayor precisión las capacidades del paciente en tiempo real, para imponer de manera inteligente la resistencia o el desafío adecuados según sea necesario para optimizar el resultado clínico. En última instancia, el resultado esperado es un enfoque de simulación predictiva para capturar mejoras específicas de tratamientos de la lesión medular en el control neuronal y la función motora.
En las últimas décadas hemos sido testigos de la llegada de exoesqueletos robóticos y neuroprótesis para la rehabilitación y la asistencia de la marcha en personas con patologías neurológicas. Sin embargo, éstas tienen una eficacia limitada debido a su complejidad, costo y generalidad, debido fundamentalmente a que se trata de sistemas genéricos para todo tipo de patologías y capacidades funcionales. El proyecto TAILOR tiene como objetivo desarrollar una nueva generación de exoesqueletos robóticos (WR) y neuroprótesis (NP) que permitan generar soluciones personalizadas al paciente para la compensación funcional de la marcha. Además, la tecnología desarrollada también tendrá la capacidad de hibridación, donde un WR y un NP se combinan como un único dispositivo (robot híbrido, HR) para proporcionar asistencia híbrida de la marcha, optimizando el WR y generando aferencias a través de la estimulación artificial de los músculos.
Para ello se requiere investigar sobre: 1) la caracterización de la función de la marcha basado en un enfoque funcional, independiente de la patología, que permita la personalización basada en la función; 2) modelos neuromusculoesqueléticos específicos de la persona para la simulación de la marcha asistida mediante WR, NP y HR, que permita predecir el resultado funcional para una persona y combinación de WR, NP y HR específica; 3) tecnología WR y NP modular y personalizable que permita combinar y adaptar una solución específica para una persona específica; y 4) el desarrollo de procedimientos estandarizados para la evaluación de las prestaciones, la eficacia y la aceptación de WR, NP y HR, proporcionando datos de referencia para la comparación de las prestaciones, el impacto sobre la función, la facilidad de uso y la aceptación.
Características de las actividades a realizar:
– Diseño, desarrollo, implementación de sistemas robóticos (exoesqueletos, prótesis, etc.) para su aplicación en el tratamiento de enfermedades neurodegenerativas
– Desarrollo hardware
– Diseño y montaje de sistemas electrónicos
Perfil deseado:
– Experiencia en Robótica de Neurorrehabilitación
– Habilidades de desarrollo y montaje de sistemas electrónicos
– Fluidez en inglés hablado y escrito
– Capacidad para trabajar en equipo
Remuneración Bruta: 26010€/año
Investigador responsable: Juan C. Moreno Sastoque
We are looking for motivated postdoctoral researchers interested in working in the Neural Rehabilitation Group at Madrid with a Postdoctoral Contract under the “Atracción de Talento de la Comunidad de Madrid” action.
“Atracción de Talento 2022” Call
This call is aimed at promoting the attraction of national and foreign researchers with an outstanding career in foreign R&D centres by means, on the one hand, of the granting of aid for their employment and, on the other hand, the granting of aid for doing R&D activities.
There is one single modality:
1) Grants for hiring doctors with experience + Funding for R&D activities
The contracted postdoctoral researchers must have carried out predoctoral and / or postdoctoral stays in R&D foreign centers with a duration equal to or greater than two years in total. For at least one year of the last two years prior to the call (July, 20), the researcher must have been linked to a foreign R&D institution.
Candidates must meet the requirements of being doctors and having obtained a doctorate between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019
Duration: 5 years
Salary: around 49.000€ per year (doctor FC1, according to salary tables of CSIC)
Extra funding: maximum of 200.000€ for R&D activities
For more information about the Call, please visit the website
Our Group
Our main scientific interest is the analysis of the neuromusculoskeletal and cognitive systems that enable humans to produce movements and decisions. Our research pursues development of technology-based methods that improve the functional or health outcomes of people with neurological injuries and neurodegenerative disorders as well as the discovery of new therapeutic targets that will help reduce functional deterioration and frailty associated with aging. These goals are articulated into four lines of research, funded by international and national projects:
I. Interaction between humans and robotic exoskeletons.
II. Minimally invasive neural interfaces for neuromotor control.
III. Generating neuromechanical biomarkers of movement disorders.
IV. Benchmarking, assessment and standardization of humans and robot performance.
For more information, please visit our website: www.neuralrehabilitation.org
We need to send the formal request BEFORE July, 18
Deadline for sending your interest: July, 5
We are seeking a highly motivated individual to perform post-doctoral research in the Neural Rehabilitation Group at the Cajal Institute (in Madrid, Spain) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie action.
The research topic would be in the scope of hybrid FES-robotic neurorehabilitation technologies, in particular combination of neuroprosthetics and wearable for medical applications. The application will be adapted based on the profile and interest of the candidate.
European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.
Researchers interested in PFs:
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022. HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01. Link
Call deadline: 14 September 2022
Deadline for sending us your interest: 14 May 2022
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is Spain’s largest public research institution and ranks third among Europe’s largest research organisations. CSIC obtained 32 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships (MSCA IF) in the 2019 call, the highest number to date for the organisation, positioning itself as the first recipient of these grants at a national level. At the European level, Spain is the second country, after the United Kingdom.
The CSIC’s Vice-presidency for International Relations gives support to researchers who submit their proposals with the institution through face-to-face training sessions, webinars, resolution of queries and review of candidates’ proposals (see figure).
Please contact us at: info@neuralrehabilitation.org
Our colleague Camila Rodrigues has been awarded one of the first three “Divulgación Oro” (Gold Dissemination) prizes in the Scientific Dissemination Contest “Yo Investigo, Yo soy CSIC” (I Investigate, I am CSIC). Her work has been done in the framework of the EXTEND Project and focus on intuitive control of exoskeletons. Congratulations, Camila!
https://www.csic.es/es/actualidad-del-csic/la-biologa-carmela-cela-gana-el-iii-concurso-de-videos-divulgativos-yo-investigo
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher interested in working in the Neural Rehabilitation Group with a Ramón y Cajal Tenure Contract.
The main task of the candidate will be to support and guide the current research activities carried out by the group in the field of collaborative robotics technologies, such as legged robots, exoskeletons and neuroprostheses. The candidate will be offered the ideal environment to conduct independent research, to which he/she is expected to contribute with fresh new ideas for further research proposals. The successful candidate will play a leading role in developing innovative and creative solutions for:
– The quantitative evaluation of robot performance in unstructured environments.
– The design and development of new biomechatronic and neuroprosthetic platforms.
– The analysis and assessment of neuromotor functions in healthy and pathologic population in a wide range of motor functions.
The candidate (PhD defense from 01/01/2011 to 31/12/2019 ) will need to apply to the Call “2021 Ramón y Cajal Tenure Contract”:
https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/ayudas-contratos-ramon-cajal-ryc-2021
Duration of the contract: 5 years
Call deadline: 08/02/2022 (14:00)
Required qualifications:
– PhD degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Robotics, Electronics, Mechatronics or equivalent).
– Proven ability to design and conduct independent research.
– Experience in writing full research proposals, scientific publications, technical reports.
– Ability to lead and supervise other researchers’ work.
– Strong publication (or patent) record in at least one of the following fields: wearable robots, legged robotics, neurophysiology, neuroprosthetics.
– Fluency in spoken and written English.
– Good programming experience.
– Self-motivated, proactive, with “can do” attitude.
– Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Send CV and motivation letter to Dr. J.C Moreno (jc.moreno(at)csic.es) before the 20th January, 2022.
We are seeking a highly motivated individual to perform post-doctoral research in the Neural Rehabilitation Group (https://www.neuralrehabilitation.org/en/) at the Cajal Institute, in Madrid, Spain.
The main task of the candidate will be to support and guide the current research activities carried out by the group in the field of hybrid FES-robot technologies, in particular combination of neuroprosthetics and exoskeletons for medical applications. The successful candidate will play a leading role in developing innovative and creative solutions for a) design and development of new biomechatronic and neuroprosthetic platforms, b) the analysis and assessment of neuromotor functions in healthy and pathologic population in a wide range of motor functions.
The candidate (PhD defense from 01/01/2020 to 31/12/2021) will need to apply to the Call “2021 Juan de la Cierva-FORMACION contracts”:
https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/ayudas-contratos-juan-cierva-formacion-2021
Duration of the contract: 2 years
Call deadline: 03/02/2022
Candidates must have a PhD degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Robotics, Electronics, Mechatronics or equivalent) and first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals. Research experience in control/robotics/mechatronics will be valuable. Send CV and motivation letter to Dr. J.C Moreno (jc.moreno(at)csic.es) before the 20th January, 2022.
Selected publications:
– Koelewijn AD, Audu M, Del-Ama AJ, et al. Adaptation Strategies for Personalized Gait Neuroprosthetics. Front Neurorobot. 2021;15:750519. Published 2021 Dec 16. doi:10.3389/fnbot.2021.750519
– Pascual-Valdunciel A., González-Sánchez M., Muceli S., Adán B., Escobar V., Pérez-Sánchez R., Ki Jung M., Schneider A., Hoffmann K.P., Moreno J.C. Grandas F., Farina D., Pons J.L., Barroso F.O.. Intramuscular stimulation of muscle afferents attains prolonged tremor reduction in essential tremor patients. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 2021. 10.1109/TBME.2020.3015572.
– Asín-Prieto, Guillermo; Martínez-Expósito, Aitor; Barroso, Filipe O.; Urendes, Eloy J.; Gonzalez-Vargas, Jose; Alnajjar, Fady S.; González-Alted, Carlos; Shimoda, Shingo; Pons, Jose L.; Moreno, Juan C. Haptic adaptive feedback to promote motor learning with a robotic ankle exoskeleton integrated with a video game. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 8. 113. 2020.
– Müller, Philipp; Del Ama, Antonio J.; Moreno, Juan C.; and Schauer, Thomas. Adaptive multichannel FES neuroprosthesis with learning control and automatic gait assessment. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. BioMed Central. 17. 1. 1-20. 2020.
– Gil-Castillo, J.; Alnajjar, F.; Koutsou, A.; Torricelli, D.; Moreno, J. C.. Advances in neuroprosthetic management of foot drop: a review. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. 17. 1. 1-19. 2020
