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    Upper-limb Prosthetics

    While substantial technological progresses have been made in prosthetics hardware with multiple active Degree of Freedosm prosthetics (like recent polydigital hands), the conventional myoelectric control approaches of these devices remains limited, complex, unnatural and little intuitive. My research is therefore focused on developing more intuitive and efficient control paradigms, especially for the less considered cases of upper arm amputees (transhumeral): phantom limb based myoeletric control in transhumeral amputees to decode the stump's muscular contraction patterns associated to the phantom limb activity and mimic it with the prosthetics; and Movement based control approaches exploiting models of upper limb interjoint coordinations to automatize some prosthetics joints based on the voluntary movements of the stump. I also study the development of sensory substitition for prosthetics to allow subjects developing sensorimotor control loops, and try to characterize the effects and the key factors of embodiment of these technical devices.

    Phantom Limb Based myoeletric control in transhumeral amputees

    Phantom movement training without classifier performance feedback improves mobilization ability while maintaining EMG pattern classification

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    In IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics , volume 5 , 2023.


    Guiding the Training of Users With a Pattern Similarity Biofeedback to Improve the Performance of Myoelectric Pattern Recognition

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    In IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering , volume 28 , 2020.


    Phantom-mobility-based prosthesis control in transhumeral amputees without surgical reinnervation: a preliminary study

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    In Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology , volume 6 , 2018.


    Characteristics of phantom upper limb mobility encourage phantom-mobility-based prosthesis control

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    In Nature Scientific Reports , volume 8 , 2018.


    Classification of Phantom Finger, Hand, Wrist and Elbow Voluntary Gestures in Transhumeral Amputees with sEMG

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    In IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering , volume 25 , 2017.


    Voluntary phantom hand and finger movements in transhumeral amputees could be used to naturally control polydigital prostheses

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    In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE-RAS-EMBS International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) , 2017.


    Phantom hand and wrist movements in upper limb amputees are slow but naturally controlled movements

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    In Neuroscience , volume 312 , 2016.


    Movement based control approaches

    Closing the loop between body compensations and upper-limb prosthetic movements: a feasibility study

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    In IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics IEEE , volume 3 , 2021.


    Assessment of an automatic prosthetic elbow control strategy using residual limb motion for transhumeral amputated individuals with socket or osseointegrated prostheses

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    In IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics , volume 1 , 2020.


    Movement-based control for upper-limb prosthetics: is the regression technique the key to a robust and accurate control?

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    In Frontiers in Neurorobotics Frontiers , volume 12 , 2018.


    Can we achieve intuitive prosthetic elbow control based on healthy upper limb motor?

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    In Frontiers in Neurorobotics Frontiers , volume 12 , 2018.


    Intuitive control of a prosthetic elbow

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    In Proceedings of the International Conference on Neurorehabilitation (ICNR) , 2016.


    Intuitive prosthetic control using upper limb inter-joint coordinations and IMU-based shoulder angles measurement: a pilot study

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems , 2016.


    Towards the implementation of natural prosthetic elbow motion using upper limb joint coordination

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    In Proc. of the 6th IEEE RAS/EMBS Int. Conf. on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob) , 2016.



    Embodiment

    Reachability and the sense of embodiment in amputees using prostheses

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    In Nature Scientific Reports , volume 7 , 2017.



    Sensory substitution for prosthetics

    under construction


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    Exoskeletons


    My work is principally dedicated to favor the use of exoskeletons in neuromotor rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, to facilitate and enhance the sensorimotor relearning. The transition from simple planar robots only interacting with the hand to more complex 3D exoskeletons interacting at the joint's level through several interaction points created several new research topics that I try to address: the development of control approaches of these complex mechatronic structures to address fine aspects of robotic interaction with the human motor control (respect of motor intentions, adaptation to patient's level, control of joint synergies) and the study of the mechanical coupling of human limbs to exoskeletons to master the force exchanges and respect the patient's body. In parallel, I started working with the french exoskeleton company Wandercraft, to develop innovative control approaches for lower-limb exoskeletons for paralyzed patients.

    Innovative control approaches for lower-limb exoskeletons for assistance to paralyzed patients

    Using Arm Swing Movements to Maintain the Walking State in a Self-Balanced Lower-Limb Exoskeleton

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    In 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) , 2022.


    Using Generic Upper-Body Movement Strategies in a Free Walking Setting to Detect Gait Initiation Intention in a Lower-Limb Exoskeleton

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    In IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics , volume 2 , 2020.


    Control approaches of upper limb exoskeletons

    Comparison of different error signals driving the adaptation in assist-as-needed controllers for neurorehabilitation with an upper-limb robotic exoskeleton

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    In in proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) , 2017.


    Modifying upper-limb inter-joint coordination in healthy subjects by training with a robotic exoskeleton

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    In Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation , volume 14 , 2017.


    Learning motor coordination under resistive viscous force fields at the joint level with an upper-limb robotic exoskeleton

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    In Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation II , 2016.


    Upper-Limb Robotic Exoskeletons for Neurorehabilitation: A Review on Control Strategies

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    In IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering , volume 9 , 2016.


    Adaptive control of a robotic exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation

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    In 2015 7th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering (NER) IEEE , volume 1 , 2015.


    Robotic exoskeletons: a perspective for the rehabilitation of arm coordination in stroke patients

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    In Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , volume 8:947 , 2014.


    A method for measuring the upper limb motion and computing a compatible exoskeleton trajectory

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS'12) , 2012.


    Changing human upper-limb synergies with an exoskeleton using viscous fields

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'11) , 2011.


    A methodology to quantify alterations in human upper limb movement during co-manipulation with an exoskeleton

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    In IEEE in Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering , volume 18 , 2010.


    How can human motion prediction increase transparency?

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'08) , 2008.


    Isostaticity in the coupling of human limb to exoskeletons

    Connecting a Human Limb to an Exoskeleton.

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    In IEEE Transactions on Robotics , volume 28 , 2012.


    Formal Methodology for Avoiding Hyperstaticity When Connecting an Exoskeleton to a Human Member

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'10) , 2010.


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    Supernumerary Robotic Limbs and sensorimotor extensions

    A new category of wearable robotic devices aiming at extending human dexterity, which is raising numerous technical challenges on interaction with the human body, control, embodiment and safety.

    Virtually turning robotic manipulators into worn devices: opening new horizons for wearable assistive robotics

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    In arXiv preprint arXiv 2211.08483 , 2022.



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    Assessment and analysis of human sensorimotor control


    To build better physically interactive robots require a deeper understanding of human's ways of moving, interacting and performing motor tasks. Part of my research is therefore dedicated to the design of assessment devices, which can be also used as simple rehabilitation platforms, and to the analysis of human sensorimotor control in healthy and patients.

    Design of rehabilitation and assesment devices

    My research focuses on the development of instrumented objects and simple devices for assessment and rehabilitation of upper limb.

    Instrumented objects

    Effects of hand configuration on the grasping, holding and placement of an instrumented object in patients with hemiparesis

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    In Frontiers in Neurology Frontiers , volume 10 , 2019.


    Taxonomy based analysis of force exchanges during multi-digital object grasping and manipulation

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    In Plos One Public Library of Science , volume 12 , 2017.


    Analysis of grasping strategies and function in hemiparetic patients using an instrumented object

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    In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) , 2013.




    Simple exoskeletons

    Ergonomic Design of a Wrist Robot: the Influence of Hyperstaticity on Reaction connecting Forces and Motor Strategies

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    In International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics , volume 7 , 2014.


    Hyperstaticity for Ergonomic Design of a Wrist Exoskeleton

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    In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) , 2013.


    Analysis of human sensorimotor control

    Characterisation of grasping and manipulation

    Kinematic analysis of impairments and compensatory motor behavior during prosthetic grasping in below-elbow amputees

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    In PLOS One , volume 17 , 2022.


    Impairment and Compensation in Dexterous Upper-Limb Function After Stroke. From the Direct Consequences of Pyramidal Tract Lesions to Behavioral Involvement of Both Upper-Limbs in Daily Activities

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    In Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , volume 15 , 2021.


    Anticipation and compensation for somatosensory deficits in object handling: evidence from a patient with large fibre sensory neuropathy

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    In Journal of Neurophysiology , volume 0 , 2021.


    Experimental and theoretical study of velocity fluctuations during slow movements in humans

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    In Journal of neurophysiology , volume 2 , 2019.


    Taxonomy based analysis of force exchanges during multi-digital object grasping and manipulation

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    In Plos One Public Library of Science , volume 12 , 2017.


    Analysis of hand synergies in healthy subjects during bimanual manipulation of various objects

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    In Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation , volume 11 , 2014.



    Joint coordination and adaptation to perturbation

    Identification of inverse kinematic parameters in redundant systems: Towards quantification of inter-joint coordination in the human upper extremity

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    In PLOS One , volume 17 , 2022.


    Experimental and theoretical study of velocity fluctuations during slow movements in humans

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    In Journal of neurophysiology , volume 2 , 2019.


    Effects of hand configuration on the grasping, holding and placement of an instrumented object in patients with hemiparesis

    , , , , ,
    In Frontiers in Neurology Frontiers , volume 10 , 2019.


    Modifying upper-limb inter-joint coordination in healthy subjects by training with a robotic exoskeleton

    , , ,
    In Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation , volume 14 , 2017.


    Learning motor coordination under resistive viscous force fields at the joint level with an upper-limb robotic exoskeleton

    , ,
    In Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation II , 2016.




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    Physical Human-Robot interaction


    In collaboration with the Human Robotics Group of Imperial College London, I have been working on the understanding of physical dyadic interactions and on human-inspired biomimetic control, to transfer these knowledge and principles to robotic interactive devices.

    Roles in human-robot dyads

    Intent-aware control in kinematically redundant systems: Towards collaborative wearable robots

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    In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) , 2021.


    Slaves no longer: review on role assignment for human-robot joint motor action

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    In Adaptive Behavior (SAGE) , 2014.


    A Framework to Describe, Analyze and Generate Interactive Motor Behaviors

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    In PLoS ONE , volume 7 , 2013.


    Biomimetic control

    Force, Impedance and Trajectory Learning for Contact Tooling and Haptic Identification

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    In IEEE Transactions on Robotics , volume 35 , 2018.


    Versatile Interaction Control and Haptic Identification in Humans and Robots

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    Chapter in Geometric and Numerical Foundations of Movements (Springer, ed.) , volume 117 , 2017.


    A Versatile Biomimetic Controller for Contact Tooling and Tactile Exploration

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    In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA'12) , 2012.




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    Ethical and societal issues of wearable robotics


    While physical interaction with robots is becoming common in many domains, numerous devices are not appropriated by their users and remain unused in the cupboard. This phenomenon is particularly observed with robotic devices which interact closely with the body, especially if they are designed to compensate for a loss of sensory or motor capacity. I am therefore interested in considering and understanding the socio-anthropological and cultural phenomena affecting the appropriation and use of technical objects which interact with the body as much as (or even more than) their technical performance, along with the ethical issues related to the convergence of human body and technology.

    Socio-anthropological and cultural phenomena influencing the appropriation of technical objects

    L’ambivalence de l’enchantement prothétique contemporain

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    Chapter in Corps et Prothèses Presses Universitaires de Grenoble , 2020.


    Prothèses robotiques : vers un nouveau dualisme?

    Chapter in L'humain et ses prothèses: Savoirs et pratiques du corps transformé (Editions CNRS, ed.) , 2017. (978-2-271-11416-7)


    Robotic prostheses: what do they actually mean for the patient?

    In Human Body In Motion Journal , volume 1 , 2017.


    Robotic Prosthetics : Moving Beyond Technical Performance. (A study of socio-anthropological and cultural phenomena influencing the appropriation of technical objects interacting with the body)

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    In IEEE Technology and Society Magazine , volume 34 , 2015.




    Human Enhancement Technologies

    The Ethics of Supernumerary Robotic Limbs. An Enactivist Approach

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    In Science and Engineering Ethics , volume 28 , 2022.


    Cyborg et corps artificiel

    Chapter in Vers le cyber-monde: Humain et numérique en interaction (CNRS Editions, ed.) , 2021.


    Membres et organes artificiels: le mythe et la fabrique des surhommes

    Chapter in "Vers de nouvelles humanités ? L'humanisme juridique face aux nouvelles technologies" (Dalloz, ed.) , volume 59 , 2017.


    The Myth of Human Enhancement

    CNRS News , 2017.