PARLOMA – A Novel Human-Robot Interaction System for Deaf-blind Remote Communication

Deaf-blindness forces people to live in isolation. Up to now there is no existing technological solution enabling two (or many) Deaf-blind persons to communicate remotely among them in tactile Sign Language (t-SL). When resorting to t-SL, Deaf-blind persons can communicate only with persons physically present in the same place, because they are required to reciprocally explore their hands to exchange messages. We present a preliminary version of PARLOMA, a novel system to enable remote communication between Deaf-blind persons. It is composed of a low-cost depth sensor as the only input device, paired with a robotic hand as output device. Essentially, any user can perform handshapes in front of the depth sensor. The system is able to recognize a set of handshapes that are sent over the web and reproduced by an anthropomorphic robotic hand. PARLOMA can work as a “telephone” for Deaf-blind people. Hence, it will dramatically improve life quality of Deaf-blind persons. PARLOMA has been designed in strict collaboration with the main Italian Deaf-blind associations, in order to include end-users in the design phase

Optimal Ultrasound Exposure Conditions for Maximizing C2C12 Muscle Cell Proliferation and Differentiation

Described here is an in vitro systematic investigation of the effects on C2C12 myoblasts of exposure to finely controlled and repeatable low-intensity pulsed ultrasound of different frequencies (500 kHz, 1 MHz, 3 MHz and 5 MHz) and different intensities (250, 500 and 1000 mW/cm2). An in-house stimulation system and an ultrasound-transparent cell culture well minimized reflections and attenuations, allowing precise control of ultrasound delivery. Results indicated that a 3 MHz stimulation at 1 W/cm2 intensity maximized cell proliferation in comparison with the other exposure conditions and untreated controls. In contrast, cell differentiation and the consequent formation of multinucleated myotubes were maximized by 1 MHz stimulation at 500 mW/cm2 intensity. The highly controlled exposure conditions employed allowed precise correlation of the ultrasound delivery to the bio-effects produced, thus overcoming the inconsistency of some results available in the literature and contributing to the potential of ultrasound treatment for muscle therapy and regeneration

Ultrasound-mediated drug release from micelles based on poly(2-oxazoline) terpolymers and triblock copolymer

Ultrasound (US)-mediated drug delivery has been widely investigated in the past decades, due to the advantages of US (mainly non-invasiveness and absence of side effects) over other energy sources1. Besides the well-known direct bioeffects of US on different tissues (bone, muscle, cartilage, etc.) and their capability to enhance transdermal drug delivery and tissue drug uptake, it has been shown that US can be used to release molecules (drugs, DNA, proteins, etc.) from different carriers, e.g., microbubbles, liposomes, and polymeric micelles2. Polymeric micelles are self-assembled structures formed by amphiphilic copolymers which are able to enclose hydrophobic drugs. They can be used in the nanomedicine field to reduce the side effects of systemic administration, especially if coupled with an external triggering mechanism. The most studied type of US-triggered micelles is the one based on Pluronics, consisting of triblock copolymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(propylene glycol)3. In this study we propose an alternative micelle formulation based on poly(2-oxazoline) terpolymers and triblock copolymer and we demonstrate a tunable dexamethasone (Dex) release kinetics enabled by non-focused US

Investigation of drug release modulation from poly(2-oxazoline) micelles through ultrasound

Among external stimuli used to trigger release of a drug from a polymeric carrier, ultrasound has gained increasing attention due to its non-invasive nature, safety and low cost. Despite this attention, there is only limited knowledge about how materials available for the preparation of drug carriers respond to ultrasound. This study investigates the effect of ultrasound on the release of a hydrophobic drug, dexamethasone, from poly(2-oxazoline)-based micelles. Spontaneous and ultrasound-mediated release of dexamethasone from five types of micelles made of poly(2-oxazoline) block copolymers, composed of hydrophilic poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) and hydrophobic poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) or poly(2-butyl-2-oxazoline-co-2-(3-butenyl)-2-oxazoline), was studied. The release profiles were fitted by zeroorder and Ritger-Peppas models. The ultrasound increased the amount of released dexamethasone by 6% to 105% depending on the type of copolymer, the amount of loaded dexamethasone, and the stimulation time point. This study investigates for the first time the interaction between different poly(2-oxazoline)-based micelle formulations and ultrasound waves, quantifying the efficacy of such stimulation in modulating dexamethasone release from these nanocarriers

A bio-hybrid mechanotransduction system based on ciliate cells

This paper reports the design and the development of a new bio-hybrid tactile sensor based on the integration of canine kidney epithelial cells within an artificial device. Mechanical stimuli transduced by cells were detected via electrical measurements. In the long run, this novel bio-hybrid approach can pave the way to advanced hybrid sensors provided with self-healing properties and biomimetic compliance

Real-Time Single Camera Hand Gesture Recognition System for Remote Deaf-Blind Communication

This paper presents a fast approach for marker-less Full-DOF hand tracking, leveraging only depth information from a single depth camera. This system can be useful in many applications, ranging from tele-presence to remote control of robotic actuators or interaction with 3D virtual environment. We applied the proposed technology to enable remote transmission of signs from Tactile Sing Languages (i.e., Sign Languages with Tactile feedbacks), allowing non-invasive remote communication not only among deaf-blind users, but also with deaf, blind and hearing with proficiency in Sign Languages. We show that our approach paves the way to a fluid and natural remote communication for deaf-blind people, up to now impossible. This system is a first prototype for the PARLOMA project, which aims at designing a remote communication system for deaf-blind people

Soft hydrogel zwitterionic coatings minimize fibroblast and macrophage adhesion on polyimide substrates

Minimizing the foreign body reaction to polyimide-based implanted devices has a pivotal role for several biomedical applications. In this work we propose materials exhibiting non-biofouling properties and a Young's modulus reflecting the one of soft human tissues. We describe the synthesis, characterization and in vitro validation of poly(carboxybetaine) hydrogel coatings covalently attached to polyimide substrates via a photolabile 4-azidophenyl group, incorporated in poly(carboxybetaine) chains at two concentrations of 1.6 and 3.1 mol.%. The presence of coatings was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. White light interferometry was used to evaluate coating continuity and thickness (resulting between 3 and 6 μm in dry conditions). Confocal laser scanning microscopy allowed to quantify the thickness of the swollen hydrogel coatings that ranged between 13 and 32 μm. The different hydrogel formulations resulted in stiffness values ranging from 2 to 19 kPa, and led to different fibroblasts and macrophages responses tested in vitro. Both cell types showed a minimum adhesion on the softest hydrogel type. In addition, both the overall macrophage activation and cytotoxicity were observed to be negligible for all the tested material formulations. These results are a promising starting point towards future advanced implantable systems. In particular, such technology paves the way to novel neural interfaces able to minimize the fibrotic reaction, once implanted in vivo, and to maximize their long-term stability and functionality