The hand is the most versatile manipulative organ in the known universe. While manual behaviors can reach the complexity of virtuoso
pianism or assembling a clockwork mechanism, everyday activities – such as
grasping irregularly shaped objects or opening bottles – pose significant challenges for even the most advanced robots. The remarkable dexterity of the hand is enabled by its intricate anatomy and sophisticated control systems.
Here we investigate how the nervous system orchestrates manual behaviors, with a particular focus on unconstrained object grasping and force application. Using a variety of electrophysiological techniques, we examine how different brain regions contribute to the control of reaching, grasping, transporting objects, and applying force with individual digits. By linking neural activity to kinematic and kinetic descriptors of behavior,  we aim to create a novel understanding of the motor system controlling the hand and drive the advancement of neural prosthetics.

Neuroprosthetics provide the promise of restoring lost function and quality of life to people who have suffered life-changing
injuries. Our work focuses on prosthetic hands and arms that interface directly with the brain. This interface allows people with paralyzed hands and arms to control the prosthetic by thinking about moving their own arm. When the prosthetic hand touches an object, we can stimulate the brain so that the user feels a sense of touch as though it came from their own hand. Taken together, this allows someone who has lost the use of their hand to move and feel with a robotic hand as though it were their own. We expect this work to lead to
devices that can restore independence and the ability to quickly and accurately complete a variety of activities of daily life that are often lost following spinal cord injury, brain stem stroke or high-level amputation.