In his inaugural lecture, Professor Massimo Sartori (UT, TechMed Centre) introduced the concept of the neuromuscular robotics revolution. Inspired by friends and family who lost mobility after a stroke and spinal cord injury, Sartori has dedicated his career to understanding how the human nervous system controls movement and translating that knowledge into wearable robotic technologies that can restore mobility.
Rather than focusing only on robotics, Sartori pioneered an approach centred on the human side of movement, building detailed digital models of the neuromuscular system and decoding the 'neural code' of movement directly from motor neurons. His team has developed techniques to non-invasively record neural signals, transform them into biomechanical models, and use these in real time to control exoskeletons, prosthetics, and bionic limbs.
His work has already shown that stroke survivors, people with spinal cord injuries, and amputees can regain control over movement using these neuro-muscular interfaces. These technologies are not only restoring basic motor functions but also enabling natural, fine-grained control of robotic limbs.
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