ROBOT 6400 - Neural Engineering and NeuroRobotics

This 4-credit course covers tools and applications in the field of Neural Engineering with an emphasis on real-time robotic applications. Neural Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that overlaps with many other areas including neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, circuit theory, electrochemistry, bioelectric field theory, biomedical instrumentation, biomaterials, computational neuroscience, computer science, robotics, human-computer interaction, and neuromuscular rehabilitation. This course is designed around the central idea that Neural Engineering is the study of transferring electromagnetic information into or out of the nervous system. With this framework, the course is divided into three broad segments: neurorecording, neurostimulation and closed-loop neuromodulation. The neurorecording segment includes: invasive and non-invasive recording techniques, signal processing, neural feature extraction, biological and artificial neural networks, and real-time control of robotic devices using neurorecordings. The neurostimulation segment includes: invasive and non-invasive stimulation techniques, signal generation, physiological responses, safety analysis, and real-time stimulation for haptic feedback and for reanimating paralyzed limbs. The closed-loop neuromodulation segment will feature hands-on student-led group projects where students can combine techniques from the first two segments to create various neurorobotic applications. Example applications include bionic arms controlled by thought that restore a natural sense of touch, or neural-links that can decode a person’s thoughts to reanimate a paralyzed limb. This course involves a lecture component and a lab component.