It can grab, hold, and hold hands... How magical is the "intelligent bionic hand" when lighting the main torch at the Asian Para Games?

On the evening of October 22, the opening ceremony of the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games continued the cultural confidence, technological warmth and moving emotions of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games, showing the spirit of "sunshine, harmony, self-reliance and sharing". The most eye-catching thing was that the torchbearer Xu Jialing lit the main torch wearing the "Hangzhou Black Technology" intelligent bionic hand!

Xu Jialing, a member of the Chinese swimming team at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, served as the last torchbearer. She wore an intelligent bionic hand, with her thumb retracted and her five fingers together to firmly hold the "crown".

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Zhizun

"The bionic hand will perform whatever actions the brain wants to perform "

How magical is this wearable technological “hand”?

The smart bionic hand is fundamentally different from traditional mechanical prostheses. It uses non-invasive brain-computer interface technology, has 10 movable joints and 6 drive degrees of freedom, and can achieve independent movement of 5 fingers and flexible operation between fingers.

According to relevant persons in charge, this bionic hand is equipped with an intelligent algorithm in the field of brain-computer interface developed by the team. It uses non-invasive bioelectric induction electrodes to collect the user's subcutaneous electromyographic and neural electrical signals and accurately identify movement intentions. It allows users with upper arm amputations to accurately control the movement speed and position of each finger as if they were controlling their original hands, and can complete various interactive postures. Because of this, Xu Jialing's grip on the torch is more "smooth" and stable.

This type of smart sensor can reverse the brain's actions and guess what you want to do next. In other words, it can "sense" the human brain's thoughts, thereby helping humans to control arm movements with consciousness.

What’s even more “magical” about the smart bionic hand is that it can continuously learn and evolve, and understand the wearer’s thoughts faster and more accurately . In 2019, this smart bionic hand was selected as one of the “Top 100 Inventions” of the year by Time magazine.

For intelligent bionic hands, what core technical issues are yet to be overcome?

It can be imagined that when we use a mobile phone, we need to enter fingerprints on the phone multiple times and at different angles at the beginning, so that it will be very accurate every time we use it. The same is true for bionic hands. They need to go through a data collection process after wearing. The more they are used and the more they are recorded, the more accurate the recognition process will be in the future.

The human brain is called the "three-pound universe" and contains about 100 billion neurons, and the bioelectric signals are very weak. This makes it difficult to understand the internal situation of the human body through the skin, such as trying to collect the sound of a mosquito flapping its wings at Beijing Capital International Airport in Hangzhou and analyzing its flight situation.

Nowadays, technology has made up for the physical shortcomings of disabled athletes. Innovative technologies such as smart bionic hands, smart bionic legs, and smart guide dogs have been continuously integrated into the transmission scene, making the "impossible possible". We believe that with the efforts of scientists and researchers in the future, technology will continue to be upgraded and its functions will continue to be improved. We look forward to more "black technologies" bringing convenience to the lives of people with disabilities in the future.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou 4th Asian Para Games WeChat official account, Science and Technology Daily, etc.