Restoring dexterity in telerobotics: An engineer’s journey into neuroscience

Jeremy D. Brown is the John C. Malone Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also a member of the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR) and the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare. Prior to joining Hopkins, Jeremy was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in the Haptics Research Group, which is part of Penn’s General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He also holds B.S. degrees in Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Morehouse College and the University of Michigan, respectively, as a graduate of the Atlanta University Center’s Dual Degree Engineering Program. Jeremy directs the Haptics and Medical Robotics (HAMR) Laboratory, whose research focuses on human-robot interaction and haptic feedback, with applications in upper-limb prosthetics, robot-assisted surgery, and rehabilitation. By integrating human perception, motor control, and biomechanics, his work advances the design of intuitive and effective human-machine interfaces. He has been honored to receive several awards, including the NIH R21 Trailblazer Award, the IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Haptics Early CAREER Award, the NSF CRII Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Sloan Foundation Fellowship. He was also named a scholar to the NIH funded Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering Career Development Program (IREK-12). He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Robotics and Automation Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Brown’s work has appeared in several peer-reviewed journals and news outlets, including Nature Scientific Reports, the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, IEEE Transactions on Haptics, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, the IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, Forbes, and The New York Times.

Abstract: 

The human body can perform dexterous manipulation across a variety of environments. However, some environments present challenges due to limitations in function, distance, and scale. In many of these cases, access can be restored through the use of a telerobot. Dexterous manipulation via a telerobot is feasible only if it can effectively extend the user’s inherent sensorimotor control scheme to the distal environment. In this talk, I will discuss research from our lab that explores the intricate relationship between touch perception, sensorimotor control, and telerobotics in both healthy and impaired individuals.

Specifically, I will focus on our efforts to1)restore“neurallyefficient”controlinupper-limb prosthetics, 2) enhance skill learning and skill transfer in robotic minimally invasive surgical training, and 3) assess and augment touch perception in healthy and impaired sensorimotor systems. Throughout, I will emphasize the need for increased collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists to deepen our understanding of these long-standing societal challenges and move closer to long-term solutions.