The De Luca Foundation is proud to announce its support for Dr. Oluwarotimi Williams Samuel of the University of Derby (UK), who has been awarded a £30,000 Individual Research Grant to advance the project “Adaptive EMG-Driven Feature Descriptor for Intelligent and Intuitive Real-Time Robotic Arm Control.”
This innovative project aims to transform how muscle signals (EMG) are translated into precise robotic actions by developing a robust, low-latency control system using ROS and high-fidelity EMG sensors. Through adaptive signal processing and machine learning, the research seeks to overcome long-standing challenges in real-time human–robot interaction, in particular the ability to deliver accurate, intuitive, and scalable control across different users.
The impact of this work extends across multiple fields, including prosthetics, neurorehabilitation, assistive robotics, and immersive VR/AR systems. A showcase of the project is planned for ICRA 2026 to demonstrate the system’s potential to redefine next-generation EMG-powered technologies and provide open-source tools to the robotics community.
Supporting groundbreaking research like this is central to the Foundation’s mission. By empowering talented investigators and advancing neuromuscular science, we help accelerate solutions that improve human health, mobility, and quality of life.
We congratulate Dr. Samuel and look forward to the outcomes of this exciting project.