Life with movement: sensitive prostheses to be launched in Russia

Russia is preparing to launch a prosthetic sensing system that will help patients regain lost bodily sensations, Izvestia found out. Information from the sensors located on the prosthesis is transmitted to the brain — and thereby deceives the human body, telling it that its limb is in place. This helps to speed up rehabilitation due to a sense of control and appropriation of the limb, psychologists say. About what other prostheses are currently being produced and how paralyzed patients are being given the opportunity to move again, see the Izvestia article.

How Sensitive Prosthetics Trick the Brain

Bionic prostheses that will allow you to regain your sense of touch are about to be put into production in Russia. For example, patients will be able to sense the size and density of objects.

— With the help of electrodes, we have created a system for sensing and controlling the prosthesis. Information from sensors located on the fingers of the prosthesis is transmitted to the brain, thereby deceiving the body, they say, "and the hand is in place." Patients can feel the size and rigidity of objects, and recognize whether they are hard or soft," said Artur Biktimirov, head of the Center for Cybernetic Medicine and Neuroprosthetics at the Federal Medical Academy of Russia's Federal Brain Center, at the Neurocampus 2026 conference.

According to the specialist, the prosthetic sensing system is being tested on objects that the patient uses in everyday life, such as a bottle of water, an apple, or a soft sponge.

— After the loss of a limb, the patient begins to prepare for prosthetics almost from the very first days, — the expert explained. — We are developing a VR simulator that will allow you to train immediately after surgery and get used to a new condition. This will help to partially eliminate some psychological issues, create a favorable environment and prepare the muscles for future prosthetics.

Hand with help: a child from Krasnogorsk who lost his fingers received an improved traction prosthesis

The device will allow students to continue practicing kickboxing and other sports.

The project started in 2021. It is being developed by the Center for Cybernetic Medicine and Neuroprosthetics, created by the FMBA of Russia in cooperation with the Motorika Research Center.

— At the moment, the fourth stage of the research is underway, we have already practically launched the production site, — said Artur Biktimirov. — We need to get a ready-made product that can be implanted or transferred to the patient for real use.

Bionic knee modules and prosthetics are already available to Russian patients, the movement of which is as close as possible to a human gait, Ivan Khudyakov, CEO of the Steplife manufacturing company, told Izvestia.

"Both products are in mass production," he stressed. — Last year, for the first time in Russia, we attached a prosthesis with a bionic knee module directly to the patient's bone, into a pre-implanted titanium rod implant.

Prosthetics are managed through a mobile application. In the basic mode, the system recognizes the nature of a person's motor activity, such as walking or descending stairs, and ensures the most comfortable position of the prosthesis. The second mode is designed for sports activities: cycling, running, team games, and exercise equipment.

— As for the quality of life and rehabilitation, movement on bionic prostheses causes almost no discomfort, — said the expert. — We have now started clinical trials of a digital prosthetic walking analysis system. It calculates gait parameters: length, frequency and duration of stride, angles of joint flexion. The doctor receives this data in the form of a report, with which he can adjust the functionality of the prosthesis.

Paralyzed patients are returned to movement

Another innovative rehabilitation method was developed at the Pavlov Institute of Physiology. Head of the Laboratory of Physiology and Movement Yuri Gerasimenko said that using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord in combination with training, it is possible to restore movement in paralyzed patients.

— Thousands of patients who were injured and could not arbitrarily control the movement of their legs were actually sentenced to life in a wheelchair, — said the doctor, delivering a report at the conference. — Now we know that this is not the case at all. In 90% of cases, injuries are caused not by anatomical damage to the spinal cord, but by functional damage. This means that motor function can be restored.

The technology is also used for rehabilitation after stroke. The impulses act on the nerve roots and muscles of a person, depending on the exercise performed, forcing him to make a particular movement.

— During stimulation, a patient with complete motor damage can not just perform movements, but regulate the speed and effort with which they are performed, — said Yuri Gerasimenko. — We received a 15-year-old young man with a diving injury (severe injury to the cervical spine when hitting his head on the bottom. — Ed.). It happened during a pandemic. They began to stimulate him, his mother only maintained balance, and gradually started walking. Last year, the guy entered the institute — he went there on his own feet. She is currently studying to become a rehabilitologist.

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What will help speed up rehabilitation

For people who are in a paralyzed state, each new element in the arsenal of possibilities improves the quality of life, which means it is of great importance, neurosurgeon Artur Biktimirov is convinced. For example, with the stimulator turned on, the patient is able to sit in a wheelchair more efficiently or simply perform movements.

People who are faced with limb loss or paralysis experience not only physical, but also deep psychological trauma, Evgeny Shcheglov, a clinical psychologist and specialist in the Alter psychological platform, told Izvestia.

"This is often accompanied by a sense of loss of a part of oneself, anxiety, depression, and fear of the future," he noted. — There is a need to rebuild the image of your own body and a sense of control over it. The work of a psychologist in rehabilitation is aimed at supporting this process: helping to make changes, reducing anxiety, and motivating recovery.

According to the expert, the psychological state directly affects the dynamics of rehabilitation: the higher the level of patient involvement, the more effective the recovery processes are.

—Sensitive prostheses can play an important role here, as they partially restore lost bodily sensations and contribute to restoring a holistic perception of the body," the psychologist believes.

This reduces alienation from the prosthesis, improves adaptation, and can accelerate rehabilitation by increasing the sense of control and appropriation of the limb, noted Evgeny Shcheglov.